Moving Forward
by x.imagine.x
Summary: Sequel to Figures Of My Break-Up. Shane cheated on Mitchie and they broke up. Now, Mitchie returns for a second summer at Camp Rock. But what will happen when a certain popstar also returns?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Ok, as promised, here is your sequel. I had the most annoying title block ever… so that's why it took so long. And if you don't already know, this is the sequel to Figures Of My Break-Up, which is a one-shot. This will be a multi-chaptered fanfic. You most likely need to read the prequel to find out what happened and what exactly Mitchie went through to understand most of what she says and does, because I don't spend time rehashing all of the gory details and such. So, I hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

**Chapter 1**

I could feel a mixture of excitement, nervousness, and regret swirling in my gut as my mom pulled the rusted, brown van into the parking lot of Camp Rock for another summer. This year I got to stay in the campers' cabins, because we could afford to pay the regular price. However, Brown said that everybody enjoyed her cooking so much that he had no choice but to invite her back for an encore. He insisted that I take the discounted rate, but I no longer was obligated to help in the kitchens. I had a feeling that Caitlyn and I might help anyways.

"Honey, are you okay?" My mom asked me. Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I realized the van stopped and I still hadn't jumped out excitedly.

"Oh, yeah, sorry Mom. I was just thinking," I replied, a touch of sadness in my tone.

My mom clicked her tongue sympathetically, "This is about what happened between you and Shane, isn't it?"

I shook my head, before nodding. My mother laughed at my indecision.

"It's alright sweetie. It'll be fine," she told me, placing a hand on my shoulder reassuringly.

I nodded and opened the door, slipping out of the van. I grabbed my bags (three this year!) and my guitar and headed towards the main office to get my cabin assignment and schedule. I felt my stomach knot as my eyes searched the camp frantically, searching for any indication that he had arrived. I hoped to heaven that he wouldn't. Maybe he'd decided to schedule a tour for the summer and he would disappear, never to be seen again. That would be the best thing in the history of my life. Although I knew the chances of that happening were slim to none, I held onto that hope as I recognized a familiar face.

"Caitlyn!" I yelled, waving my arm not weighted down with bags at her as she walked toward the same destination as me.

"Oh my gosh! Mitchie!" She yelled back, dropping her bags, except her laptop, and running towards me. I dropped my luggage as well, including the guitar, and barely caught her as she practically jumped on me in a bone crushing hug. "I feel like I haven't seen you in forever!" She squealed.

"We just saw each other at Spring Break," I laughed, referring to the visit we'd made to San Francisco for vacation. It was just a total coincidence that San Francisco happened to be where Caitlyn lived… Okay maybe not. I totally knew that was where she lived when I suggested it. I just needed to see her. She was the only one who understood what I was going through, because she knew Shane, she knew me, she knew what we had and she knew that what had happened had hurt me. Okay, hurt is being generous; it destroyed me. Nobody else except her fully understood how I felt, and how shocked I had been. I was certain that my parents had expected me to be over it within a couple of weeks, a month at most, so they weren't much help after that time had passed. Of course, my dad only thought Shane had broken up with me because of distance because my mom and I had opted not to share the real reason for our break-up… It was safer for all involved parties that way.

Caitlyn understood, and had absolutely no expectations of my recovery. I was still depressed when we'd visited, and she'd understood. She'd been the best friend a person could ask for really. It seemed that Caitlyn was what I'd needed to knock me back into reality. A week with her set me back on the right path. It made me realize that this was what life was supposed to be about, not sitting and moping over some cheating, lying, idiot. After that week, I had started to return to normal.

"Yeah, well that's still a long way in the past. I feel like I haven't really seen you in forever. Since last summer, to be exact."

I attempted a smile, "Yeah, sorry about being such a downer. If it helps, you got me out of my depression," I said meekly.

Caitlyn's face stayed serious for a moment, before she broke out in a broad grin. Soon I was laughing as well, and I picked up my bags, then walked over to hers so she could retrieve them. Once we both had our bags we continued our walk into the office. Once there, we gave the secretary our names and she gave us our cabin assignments and schedules. We both decided to say our cabin names at the same time, so one wouldn't know before the other.

"1..." I said excitedly.

"2..." she continued.

"3!" We both shouted.

"6!" I told her.

"6!" she said at the exact same time.

The realization sunk in at the same time, when we both squealed and grabbed each other's hands, jumping up and down like little girls. We finally stopped to catch our breath, to see the secretary staring at us as if we were some weird bug never before seen. We started laughing once more as we looked at each other, grabbing our bags from the floor again. We were heading out to the cabin when I spotted it. A limo. A black limo. My breath caught and I immediately stopped laughing. Caitlyn's laughing slowly ceased as she watched my face.

"Mitchie? Mitchie what's wrong?" She asked, before her eyes landed on the limo as well. "Oh." She said softly. She watched in silence with me as the door opened.

I let out a sigh of relief when silver heels hit the ground, followed by slim legs, silver leggings, a jean miniskirt and a purple tank top. The blonde head that emerged as the girl stood up offered little relief to Caitlyn, but to me, it was like a gift from the Gods. I had never been more happy to see Tess Tyler in my life.

Caitlyn and I stood silently as Tess stepped around the door, smirking.

"Looks like_ she_ hasn't changed," I scoffed.

Caitlyn shook her head in disapproval, "Some things never do."

I frowned, "Some _people_, you mean."

"No, some _things._" Caitlyn said simply, laughing. I joined in as we headed towards our cabin.

We arrived at Cabin 6, dumping our bags on two beds beside each other. We spied the other two beds, wondering who our cabin-mates would be. We didn't have to wonder long as the person we least wanted to see barged through the door as though she owned the place; Tess Tyler.

Tess looked at us, shocked, "What are _you two_ doing here?"

"This happens to be our cabin," I replied, "And you?"

Tess scoffed, "As if you'd have to ask."

She stalked over to the bed furthest from ours, dropping her stuff. A minute later some other girl who introduced herself as Anna walked in. She took the remaining bed, and faced Caitlyn and I after introducing herself.

"I'm Caitlyn, and this is Mitchie," Caitlyn smiled at her.

"I'm Tess Tyler. You should know, before you make nice with these two, Mitchie's mom is the cook here, and Caitlyn's parents work on a cruise ship," Tess spoke up smugly, walking towards Anna with her hand outstretched.

"Actually, they work at-" Caitlyn tried to correct Tess as she did the previous year, and like last year, she was interrupted.

"My mom's TJ Tyler. As a girl raised in a decent environment, I'd like to spare you from the indecency of these two," Tess spoke again, standing in front of Anna now, shooting us a demeaning glare when we were mentioned.

Anna cleared her throat, "Thanks, but as a girl raised on decency myself, I'm pretty sure I won't need your help. Thanks though."

Tess looked shocked and offended as Anna brushed past her, throwing her bags onto the bed between mine and Tess's. Caitlyn and I smiled.

"Well, now that you've met Camp Rock's more _indecent_ company, you want to go for a walk? You're new this year, right?" Caitlyn asked her.

Anna beamed, "Sure! And yeah, it's my first year."

"Well then, welcome to Camp Rock. We'll fill you in as we go."

So the three of us left the cabin, leaving a still shocked Tess standing there, gaping.

We walked in a general direction of the lake, talking and laughing. Caitlyn and I took turns telling Anna who to stay away from, and who's alright, and generally what to expect. I almost forgot about him. Almost.

"Oh, and make sure that you-" I immediately stopped talking when I saw the canoes. That brought back a rush of memories all at once. I stopped walking for a moment, and just stared.

"Mitchie? Mitch? Earth to Mitchie…" Caitlyn waved her hand in front of my face, before following my gaze, and, just like the limo, stopped talking and stared silently at the canoes as well. Anna just frowned, staying silent with us.

I shook my head, clearing all the stupid memories clouding my mind. "Sorry about that. What were you saying?"

Caitlyn looked at me, "You were saying that Anna definitely shouldn't get framed for stealing a charm bracelet and get banned from Final Jam."

"Oh, right!" I remembered, laughing brightly, bordering on fake. Anna looked at me, concerned, but let it go.

"Anna, I should probably explain…" I said, biting my lip.

"No, no. It's none of my business. You don't have to say anything. I have a pretty good idea of the situation anyways."

I looked at her, alarmed.

"It's just… I don't want to go all fortune teller on your ass, but it's pretty obvious that you've had your heart broken. You met a guy here, at this camp. Maybe last summer, fell in deep. Got in over your head, and then the guy broke your heart. You thought he felt the same way about you as you did him, so it makes you feel even worse because you were so naïve. Of course, it was a long distance relationship, because all relationships that start at camp are, and then you start thinking that maybe it wasn't going to work out anyways, so you begin doubting your feelings in the first place, and gradually lose all trust in yourself. You go into a deep depression for an unspecified amount of time, and then finally get pulled out by something, most likely your quickly falling grades and/or your friends' concern." Anna said, as if it were fact, which it was.

My eyes widened, "Wow. You're good."

Anna smiled half-heartedly, "I've had experience in this sort of thing."

We let a silence stretch between us, before reaching a silent agreement to continue walking.

"So…" I trailed off, unable to stand the silence any longer, even though it was not an awkward one.

"So…" Anna agreed.

"Anna, you haven't told us about yourself," Caitlyn brought up.

"Oh. Well that's because there's not much to tell really. I grew up in a small dead end town south of San Diego, before my parents finally decided to move into San Diego itself. I've lived there ever since. Our family's pretty normal. You know, the whole two parents, two point five kids and a dog, white picket fence. Same old thing really. My family's super-predictable."

I was shocked that she sounded almost bitter about it. Did she want her family to be messed up? All Caitlyn and I could say was 'oh' before we continued on our way around the lake. We didn't really talk about anything else until we heard the call for orientation from the speakerphone. It was faint, but we heard it and began heading back up to the set of the Beach Jam, where the campers all met every year to start off.

We arrived just as Dee came out on the stage to introduce herself.

"Hey, you awesome Camp Rockers. I'd like to welcome you all to another great year! This year is going to be the most awesome one yet! I'm Dee, a vocal specialist here and I look forward to seeing you all in my classes!" She exclaimed. She looked as excited as last year, if not more.

"Hi Dee." Everybody chorused.

Dee clicked her tongue disapprovingly, "I thought all you veterans here understood the message… At Camp Rock we _sing_."

Caitlyn and I rolled our eyes, smiling, as the camp sang, "Hi Dee!"

Dee laughed before continuing her speech, "That's better. Alright, now we at Camp Rock know how much you guys love this camp, so we wanted to show our appreciation by making this year even better than last. So, in honour of continuing our tradition of celebrity instructors," She paused and my breath caught, "We are happy to welcome back not just Shane Gray, but the rest of Connect 3 as instructors!"

Everybody clapped and gasped and screamed, except me. I could feel my head spinning. _He's coming back? Here? Shit! What business does he have, ruining MY summer?!_

I gulped and grabbed Caitlyn's hand just as she grabbed mine. Anna watched us with a curious expression on her face.

"You know, usually, when you're going to be instructed at one of the most prestigious camps for music by 3 of the hottest rock stars on the face of the earth, you don't normally look so pale and…" Anna trailed off at the look Caitlyn gave her. For someone that was already showing us that she was very perceptive, she could be clueless sometimes.

I loosened my grip on Caitlyn's hand as Dee continued.

"Also, in the spirit of improving things, we've decided to spice things up… And add three new jams!" Dee announced, to cheers from the campers. I snapped out of my state of shock to clap along with everyone else. "And the names of these jams will be… drum roll please!" She paused as Andy came up and gave her a drum roll on the stage, "Improv Jam, Dance Jam, and a trial called Duet Jam. Now, I know you all want to get to it, but just let us occupy a few more minutes of your time. Brown tells me that he would like to explain these jams, so without further ado, give it up from Brown!"

Everyone cheered loudly for Brown as he leapt up from the back of the stage, rubbing his hands together in anticipation. "Alright, welcome back to another music-filled summer! I know you're all dying for me to shut up and let you leave, so I'll be brief.

"Improv Jam is basically self-explanatory. You get up on stage, and improv something, anything to show how you feel in the moment. We feel that it will be a great addition towards helping campers become more in touch with their emotions and who they really are.

"Dance Jam is also pretty self-explanatory. It's basically a dance at which campers can sing. It's similar to an open mic. Should be lots of fun.

"And lastly, I know you all want to know what this is about. Duet Jam. We've decided that doing duets is a key part of performance. We get to see how you work with others and how others work with you. We'll have you sing a few bars for us, and pair you with somebody who's voice matches yours. It should be a good test of if people will be professional, or let your emotions get in the way."

I could have sworn that Brown looked straight at me. A second later, he looked away and I continued to listen as he spoke.

"So, I'll post more about when you'll be singing for us and when duet partners will be chosen as well as when the Jam will be hosted. I'll notify you when all the kinks are worked out, so now, I'll hand things back over to Dee."

Brown walked off the stage to thunderous applause. Dee jumped back up. Man, she really needed to calm down…

"Okay! Thank you Brown! Now, I love saying this every year, Camp Rock is now in session! Study hard and, most importantly, have fun!" She squealed, pumping her fist in the air and running back off stage in that weird way she does.

Caitlyn and I shook our heads as Anna asked, "Is she always like that?"

We just nodded, turning to go back to the cabin. Suddenly, I saw It. The one thing I had been dreading the sight of. I felt my body go rigid and my insides start to squirm. To my annoyance, I also felt a mild fluttering in my stomach.

Caitlyn looked at me once again as I froze for the third time that day. She had seen the limo too. She grabbed my arm and tried to pull me away, but I stood still, watching, waiting.

I held my breath, I knew it was him. The door opened, and out stepped Jason. He stopped short, opening his arms, tilting his face to the sun, taking a deep breath. Nate emerged a few seconds later, bumping into Jason. Nate gave an angry remark and Jason looked defensive. The two started in on an intense argument, before a third figure emerged. I wanted to look away, but I couldn't. I felt the tears prick at my eyes as memories of that day I found the picture on that tabloid came rushing back. My eyes were drawn to him as he moved between the two, pushing them apart. He must have sensed my eyes on him, because as he separated his two feuding friends, he looked up, straight at me. I couldn't do anything but stare back. A tear fell. Dammit. I wasn't supposed to cry. As his eyes locked on mine, I saw the pain reflected in his brown orbs, but it didn't matter. _He_ was the one that broke _my _heart. _I_ wasn't going to care about _him_ if _he_ obviously didn't care about _me_. Caitlyn stopped trying to pull me along as Anna gazed upon the situation, finally piecing everything together. Our eyes stayed locked for a good minute, a minute in which his arms dropped to his sides, Nate and Jason looked confused, following his gaze to land on me, and tears streaked down my face, almost uncontrollable. Finally, I mustered enough strength to tear my eyes away from his, turning my head away from him and turning to walk away. I brushed at the tears streaking from my eyes, making sure I only walked. I wasn't about to run away. Walking was a better pace. Caitlyn and Anna took a few seconds to register my departure and followed me, Caitlyn shooting a glare in his general direction.

As I continued to walk away, I heard his voice calling after me, "Mitchie! Mitchie!" but I ignored him. Caitlyn and Anna jogged to catch up with me, Caitlyn throwing her arm across my shoulders as we continued to retreat. I couldn't stop my tears as the memories I had so carefully locked away came bursting back through the gates of my emotional vault. I didn't want to cry, because I didn't want anybody to start spreading rumours or thinking I was a baby because I couldn't handle seeing my ex-boyfriend.

_Damn you Shane Gray…_

* * *

**A/N: What do you think? Do you like it? **


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay, so I'm just going to write more, mostly because it's my goal to have at least half of this thing written before I start posting it… :P**

**Ok, and I forgot the stupid disclaimer again… so I don't own anything.**

* * *

**Chapter 2: **

We'd finally made it back to the cabin. Luckily for us, Tess was nowhere to be seen.

I collapsed on my bed as Caitlyn sat beside me. Anna just stood awkwardly at the edge of the bed.

"Wow, you know, when I figured out the whole situation, you didn't tell me that the guy was THE Shane Gray! Not that it was any of my business, but still!" Anna exclaimed.

"I..I d-didn't know it m-mattered," I choked out, my tears finally stopping as I pushed the last of the memories back into the dark corner, locking them away once more. Well, most of them anyways. The picture was still hovering in my memory like a ghost, haunting me.

"Of course it did! Man, I thought he was just some run of the mill guy… but Shane Gray? That makes all the difference. He's the jerkiest of all jerks. No wonder he broke your heart! He's a heart breaker!"

I felt tears welling up in my eyes once again, "Don't say that. He isn't a jerk…"

"Why are you defending him Mitch? The jerk broke your heart!" Caitlyn cried.

"I know… I just… He doesn't deserve to be called a jerk is all. Unless he's decided to do another about face change," I had no idea why I was still defending him.

Caitlyn just shook her head, Anna smiled knowingly.

"What?" I asked Anna, a little defensively.

"You still have feelings for him," She told us wisely.

"No! No, of course not. Why would I still have feelings for that jerk?"

"Because of that!" Anna pointed at me, I frowned, as did Caitlyn, "You just said he wasn't a jerk, and he doesn't deserve to be called one, but now you're calling him a jerk yourself! Admit it. The sooner you admit it, the sooner you can get over it."

"No, I don't. I absolutely do not still like Shane. At all," I said firmly, sitting up. I stood purposefully, moving to the hanging mirror and fixing my hair and smudged make-up before turning to the girls. "Now, how about we get out of here in case the Ice Queen shows up?"

We three girls walked around showing Anna the rest of the Camp we hadn't gotten to show her yet. Soon, the dinner bell rang, and we headed off to the Mess Hall, laughing and joking. We found seats next to Lola, Barron and Sander. Barron tried to give Anna a smooth line, but she just giggled, followed by the rest of us giggling as well. He pretended to be hurt, causing us to laugh harder.

My laugh faltered as I felt eyes burning into the back of my head. I turned around, and there he was, just sitting and staring at me. I tried to glare at him, but once my eyes locked with his, I felt like I couldn't move. Everyone seemed to notice that I was turned around, and quieted down once they realized who I was staring at. It took me a moment before I was able to tear my eyes away from his, just like earlier that day.

"I'm not very hungry anymore. I'm just going to go back to the cabin. I'll see you guys later," I said, standing up.

"You're coming to Opening Jam later, right?" Caitlyn asked.

"Yeah, of course. I'm just not very hungry, and I'm kind of tired from the long trip. I'll catch up with you guys," I reassured her, although I was pretty sure everybody knew the real reason I didn't want to be here. I felt his eyes follow me out of the Mess Hall, and resisted the urge to break into a run. I sighed in relief as I walked out of the line of sight of the Mess Hall. At least he wouldn't be looking at me anymore. I made it to my cabin and laid down on my bed. I must have been more tired than I thought because a minute after I laid down, I fell into a fitful sleep, riddled with memories I had tried so desperately to repress.

_"Shane! Put me down!" I squealed as he came up from behind, picking me up by the waist and swinging me around. He_ _laughed and set me down. I turned to face him as his arms reclaimed their position around my waist, pulling me closer to him. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he leaned down and placed a sweet kiss on my lips, before pulling away, grinning devilishly, and pulling me by the hand towards the dock. I followed him suspiciously._

_My suspicions turned out to be with a good cause. I ended up being thrown in the lake. Of course, I asked him to help me up, and, unsuspecting that I could be so devious, he did. As soon as he grabbed my hand, I yanked him into the water after me with strength not many knew I had. I laughed as he came up spluttering._

"_That wasn't very nice Mitchie," He mock-scolded._

"_It's not my fault you're so gullible," I said, splashing him in the face._

_He got that look like the one he'd had in the canoe that day, the day I'd first called him a jerk, and splashed me back. Pretty soon we were having a water fight. I worked my way steadily backwards, until I could stand, and began actually winning, that is until he started advancing towards me. I saw this and my eyes widened. I started to run away, or tried to anyways. The water was just above my waist as he reached me, grabbing me from behind. He pulled me close to him and leaned down to whisper in my ear, "Now what are you going to do?"_

_I shuddered at the feel of his breath in my ear. I could hear him smirking._

_I turned my face so that I could see him, realizing how close our faces really were. He started to lean in, but, just as our lips were about to touch, he pulled away, leaving me standing there. I glared at him, only to receive a splash of water on my face as he cupped his hand and flicked some up at me…_

* * *

_I was sitting in the audience at one of his concerts, bouncing along with Caitlyn to the beat of _Play My Music. _Shane was up on the stage singing, looking down at me, though no one but Caitlyn and I knew. _

_I was backstage at the same concert with Caitlyn. We were led into a small room, waiting for the guys to come back from interviews. The door finally opened, to reveal Jason running in. _

_He threw his arms around Caitlyn and I yelling, "Group Hug!"_

_Caitlyn and I laughed when Shane and Nate walked in, rolling their eyes._

"_I'm actually glad he found two other people to hug," Nate muttered, only to be greeted by Caitlyn's hand pulling him closer. Jason adjusted his arm so that Nate was pulled into the hug too. Nate blushed a light pink as he was pushed up against Caitlyn, who was also sporting a slightly pink face. Shane smirked at Nate, before I grabbed his hand and yanked him into the hug as well. I could tell that he was glaring at me, but I didn't care._

_Jason beamed, "Wow. This brings an all new meaning to 'Group Hug.'"_

"_Yeah…savour it, because it's not going to happen again," Shane snapped._

_I turned to look at him slightly, with an eyebrow raised._

"_No. I won't do it."_

_I continued to look at him out of the corner of my eye._

"_Mitchie. Don't look at me like that. I'm not participating in another of these, EVER!"_

_I just looked at him._

_Shane sighed in frustration, "Fine. Whatever."_

_I grinned in triumph and Nate made the sound of a whip, and Shane glared at him._

"_What? You can't deny it. You are _so_ whipped!" He exclaimed._

"_I am not!" Shane defended himself._

_The two boys continued to argue, while Caitlyn, Jason, and I just watched, amused. _

I woke up in a cold sweat, sitting up with a gasp. My eyes widened as I saw the only other occupant of the room was Tess, who was sitting on her bed, scribbling in a journal.

"I…uh… I didn't know you were here," I stuttered.

Tess looked up at me, I could have sworn there was sympathy in her eyes, "Yeah. This is the only place I can get away to write in peace."

I was shocked that she was actually being civil. I figured I'd better try to return the sentiment.

"Yeah, I like peace when I'm writing too."

Tess and I smiled at each other for a moment, before she spoke once more, "Mitchie?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry about Shane. You didn't deserve what he did to you."

"Thanks," I said, giving her a crooked smile laced with sadness.

"And Mitchie?"

"Mhmm?"

"If you ever tell anyone about this, you're dead."

I smiled despite the threat. There was the Tess we all knew and hated… "Don't worry. Your secret's safe with me."

We sat in silence for a few more moments, before I got up to get ready to go to Opening Jam. As I ran a brush through my hair, I looked at Tess in the mirror.

"Aren't you going to Opening Jam?" I inquired.

"I think I'm going to be fashionably late. I've really got a creative flow going here."

"Alright. Well, I guess I'll see you after."

I grinned as I left Tess to write in peace. Maybe people _could _change…

* * *

"Mitchie! Over here!" Caitlyn called as soon as I entered the building. I made my way over to them, grin still in place.

"Hey, sorry about that, I fell asleep."

"Yeah, we kind of figured as much, since you told us you were tired…" Anna said, although we all knew she didn't believe it. In fact, I'd forgotten my little white lie to get out of dinner, because I frowned for an instant, then remembered what I had said, and quickly covered it. I was surprised at how well Anna already knew us, considering we'd known each other less than a day.

"Has anyone seen Tess lately?" Caitlyn questioned, out of nowhere.

Without thinking, I answered, "Oh yeah, she's back at the cabin writing."

Caitlyn raised her eyebrows at me, "Writing?"

"Yeah. She's writing a song… Singers do that sometimes…" I explained slowly.

Caitlyn rolled her eyes at me, commenting, "I didn't know that Tess could write songs. I thought she had professional songwriters to do that for her…"

"Me too. Until she was writing one when I woke up."

"Wait, she was in the cabin when you were sleeping?"

"Yeah…"

"And you woke up while she was writing?"

"Yeah…"

"And you're still alive because…?"

"Cait, contrary to your belief, Tess isn't a mass murderer. She's a normal person. Just like you or me."

"Ok, first you defend Shane, and now Tess? What's wrong with you today?" Caitlyn asked, feeling my forehead.

I rolled my eyes, "Nothing's wrong Cait. I'm fine."

"Alright then. You just call me when Mitchie Torres comes back. You know, the Mitchie Torres that _hates_ Shane and Tess?"

I didn't respond, just looked around the mess hall, watching as groups chatted, and people glanced towards other groups every few minutes or so.

Another thing I noticed, that I didn't particularly like, was the straight-haired pop star sitting in the corner with his band-mates, trying to pretend like he wasn't all too interested in anything, but shooting glances my way about once every minute. Even when I wasn't looking in his general direction I could tell when he was looking at me. It was like his eyes burned into me, causing the hairs on my arms to stand on end, and goose bumps to break out on my arms. Yes, the jerk could still do that to me with just one glance.

One more thing I noticed? Nate was shooting frequent glances at Caitlyn as well. I actually smiled when I thought about what a cute couple they would make. They'd talked a bit last year, and had hit it off. Caitlyn mentioned that they'd e-mailed back and forth, nothing serious. Couple that with the concerts that Caitlyn had accompanied me too, where she had spent a lot of the time talking to Nate and Jason (mostly Nate) because Shane and I were too preoccupied to really talk to them most times, and the pair had gotten to know each other fairly well. Although it was totally obvious that they liked each other as more than friends, they both insisted that that was all they were.

Of course, as soon as I let myself smile, I felt his eyes on me once more and my smile dropped. I got some random surge of confidence, and snapped my eyes around so that I was looking at the spot right beside him, not him, but he still got the picture. He suddenly found the ground very interesting. It's funny how the ground can be interesting after you're caught staring at someone you shouldn't be.

My thoughts were interrupted by Dee clearing her throat into the microphone. She announced that Lola was going to sing. We all gave her the mandatory applause, and she sang some song that nobody will remember the lyrics to at the end of the night. It was good though. That's about all I can say. Caitlyn's head bobbed along with the beat and I pretended to be listening, but my heart just wasn't into it. I couldn't bring myself to listen to her words. Not when I was in the same room as him. It was suffocating me. I know, I'm pretty confusing. One minute I'm defending Shane and the next I can't stand him, but I'm a little out of whack. I haven't seen him since… I don't even remember when we last saw each other before that damn picture…

_Oh, that's right, _I suddenly remember, _It was October, just before the tour left California…_

Caitlyn saw my expression, but apparently thought better of asking. It was probably better that she didn't ask though, because I most likely would have snapped at her.

Lola finished her song and we all clapped and cheered once more. I now noticed Caitlyn shooting shy glances at Nate every so often.

I nudged her with my elbow, speaking in a low tone, "Go talk to him."

Caitlyn blushed a bit at having been caught, but replied, "No way. It'll look weird. I can't just randomly go say hi…"

"But you're friends, aren't you? You've talked throughout the year?"

She nodded.

"Then it wouldn't be weird…"

"Yeah, it would…"

"No, it wouldn't. Now go." Before she could protest, I pushed her towards Nate, and she started walking obediently. I watched as she greeted the members of Connect 3, and Nate and Caitlyn began talking. Jason joined in a bit at first, but eventually left them to themselves, and started talking to Shane, to Shane's great annoyance. I stifled a giggle as Jason started talking and Shane just sat there, trying to suppress an eye-roll.

Anna frowned at me, "What's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing. Just Caitlyn and Nate."

Anna looked over at them, and then to Shane and Jason. "Caitlyn and Nate are cute, but I'm pretty sure that they weren't what you were laughing at."

I said nothing, and Anna knew she had it right. Damn, that girl was good…

* * *

**A/N: so i won't be able to post anything else until tuesday at the soonest. and wednesday i go back to school...woot... so updates will be a little bit slower. i'd wanted to write the whole thing this summer and then just randomly post chapters while i was on the computer, but it didn't work out that way so i'll just have to manage. The updates might start coming every week or worse, every other week as the year goes on, because i'm the idiot that decided taking a grade 12 course while still in grade 11 would be fun... and now i have to go through the course not knowing anybody, because my friends that took it too are in a different class... so it'll be me and a bunch of grade 12's... yay... and i'll most likely get confused and end up having to spend an abnormal amount of time studying... so that'll cut back on my update time as well. So now that my pointless rambling is done...**

**What did you think?? (Did you know they have a button for that? It actually says GO on it! Amazing, right? So, go on, try it out... you know you want to...)**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews guys! Another pre-written chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter 3**

_I was watching TV. Suddenly, a second me appeared on the screen, sitting on a beige couch. I knew exactly where Me II was. Me II was in his dressing room at the concert hall in San Francisco. It was the last time we'd seen each other before the tour left the state. Suddenly, I wasn't just watching the dream anymore, I was _in_ it…_

_The door knob that lead to the add-on bathroom turned and Shane entered, freshly showered. He moved over to where I was sitting and sat beside me after kissing my forehead softly. We sat in silence for a moment, before we both started to speak._

"_Shane-"_

"_Mitchie-"_

_We both fell silent, waiting for the other to continue. When neither did, we both said "You first," at the same time, then laughed again. Of course, our laughter wasn't completely happy. _

_Shane smiled saying, "Ladies first."_

_I looked at the ground, starting to speak, "This sucks. You have to go and be a Pop Sta-"_

"_Rock. Rock star," he interrupted._

"_Whatever helps you sleep at night," I teased, before continuing, "Anyways, you have to go be a famous singer-person and I have to go back to school and pretend that you're not gone because nobody knows that you were here in the first place. And then you'll realize that I'm a nobody, and come to your senses and move on and-"_

"_Whoa, Whoa. You're not a nobody! I won't forget you. And I definitely won't move on!"_

_I avoided his eyes._

"_Mitchie, it's not all that far away, and my cell reception happens to be awesome, so I'll call you, like, thirty times a day, kay?" He said softly, grabbing my hands in his._

_I smiled slightly, nodding. Tears were stinging my eyes. I wanted to say something right then, but I couldn't do it. It was too early to say it. It might scare him off. It would definitely scare me off…_

_He smiled softly at me before kissing my forehead once again. _

_We stood, making our way slowly to the door. He stopped just before the door, causing me to stop as well. He turned to face me, brushing his hand across my cheek. I looked up and met his eyes, and he leaned down to kiss me. I met him halfway and I don't think I'd ever kissed anyone like that before. The kiss was full of passion and longing, and sadness, all at once. _

_We parted only when necessary, for air, and he rested his forehead against mine. We stood like that for a few minutes, before there was a knock on the door. Shane called for them to come in, and Nate poked his head around saying that it was time to go. Shane nodded and Nate closed the door once again. We kissed one last time before we emerged. Jason flung his arms around me, bawling that he was going to miss me so much, and then he threw them around Caitlyn, and then all three of us had the same idea, yelling 'GROUP HUG!' and throwing our arms around each other. We all looked over at Shane and Nate who rolled their eyes before walking over cautiously. We pulled them into our new, Epic Group Hug. That was probably the saddest group hug I've ever been a part of. It was a lot of me, Jason and Caitlyn crying and Shane trying not to and Nate trying to get everyone on the bus before they were late…_

I sat up in bed, once again in a cold sweat. Why was I suddenly having these dreams? I didn't want to remember anymore. Why wouldn't my mind just let me forget?

**

* * *

**

Classes began in a flurry. It seemed like time would fly by here, much like it did last year. I was glad to have Brown's vocal class first thing, but was not looking forward to Shane's dance class after lunch, 2:00pm. Caitlyn tried to pretend that she wasn't eager to go either, but we both knew that she loved dancing, and couldn't wait. She got points for trying though…

Before Brown got to the cabin in which the class was held, we were just playing some random beat. Cait was up dancing around while Barron and Sander beat-boxed, some girl I didn't know played the tambourine, and Andy played the drums. The rest of the class, me included, clapped along to the rhythm. We were so caught up that we didn't notice Brown entering the cabin. Anna and I were sitting beside each other laughing and watching Caitlyn.

"Well, if the class is a rockin' then I'm glad I came a knockin'!" he shouted above the noise. I smiled remembering that it was the same phrase he'd used last year. We quieted down and Brown rubbed his hands together excitedly, licking his lips, "Alright, I see a few new faces, but pretty much the same, boring old crowd," He paused as cries of 'HEY!' sounded throughout the room. He laughed, "Only joking, only joking. Now, let's get to the real reason you're all here: music! Who would like to sing for me first?"

I remembered how he had picked me last year to go when I hadn't raised my hand, so I raised it this year, hoping he wouldn't pick me. He made eye contact with me, grinning, before turning his eyes to Anna, whose hand had not risen. I smirked, he was so going to pick Anna. After all, he'd already heard mostly everybody else sing in previous years.

Anna stood purposefully after he pointed to her. She wasn't about to be all nervous and back down. She walked to the front of the room, spun on her heel, and sang. My eyes widened. Wow. She was good.

"Why did I smile when I hurt insideSaid I was okay when I knew it's a lieI wanted to believe in youYou took your chances and one was meBut I'll just forgive you and set you free I'm on my wayYeah I'm stepping out of the haze and its so

Clear to me nowI got a whole new perspective It's so Clear to me nowYou can't treat me that way It appears to me How long you tried to make me think it was me Who was being the fakeSo Clear"

Everyone sat in an admirable silence.

"Wow, you have quite the voice. I didn't catch your name?"

"Anna Davis."

"Well, Anna Davis, welcome to Camp Rock. That wasn't an original though, am I correct?"

Anna blushed, "Yeah. I mean yes you are correct, it wasn't an original. It's just a song that I like. I'm not much of a songwriter…"

"Oh, well no worries, it was still brilliant. Take a seat."

I grinned broadly at Anna as she reclaimed her seat beside me, and other newbies went up to sing. Brown didn't readily hand out compliments, but he'd given one to Anna. That was a really good sign.

* * *

The next class I had solely with Anna: Song writing. Anna took it because she wanted to improve her skills, and I took it because it sounded reasonably fun.

When we arrived at the building, I was surprised to see Nate and Jason standing in the corner opposite the door, arguing. The room was empty when we entered.

"…he's not going to say anything Jase," Nate whispered urgently, although Anna and I could hear him just fine in the empty room. They obviously hadn't noticed our entrance.

"I don't understand what's so hard about it. Just say 'I'm sorry.' It always works for me."

Nate dropped his forehead into his hand, "Jase, this isn't some 'Oops I stepped on your toe' or 'Oops I forgot our anniversary'. This is serious. He can't just say he's sorry and expect everything to get better. Besides, you saw the way-" Nate stopped talking as I cleared my throat, alerting him to our presence. I swear Nate's face went from natural colour to bright red in about two seconds, "Mitchie! Hey!… How much of that did you hear, exactly?"

"Not much. But if you're talking about what I think you're talking about, Nate's right, Jase," I replied cryptically, earning a frown from Anna and a sigh from Nate.

An awkward silence followed, before Jason finally broke it by walking over to me, "I missed you so much Mitchie!" He engulfed me in a giant hug, which I returned.

Nate awkwardly came over as well, "Yeah. It hasn't been the same without you around."

I caught the drift of what he was saying, but feigned ignorance. I'd heard the stories about Shane's fits and screw-ups, but part of me was glad that he'd messed up some of the songs in one concert, and flat-out refused to sing Play My Music during the rest of the tour. I also heard that Connect 3's manager got really mad at him for that one. Nate seemed to notice that I really didn't care, and looked as though he was about to say something else, but I cut him off, grabbing Anna's arm and pulling her in front of me.

"I totally forgot! This is Anna. Nate and Jason, Anna. Anna, Nate and Jason."

Anna smiled politely, but I could tell that she was trying to figure out what was going on. She'd narrowed the whole situation down to: Shane broke Mitchie's heart. Now Mitchie says that she hates him, but still gets defensive of him at times. She really doesn't know the specifics of the whole mess.

We were saved from further conversation by the rest of the class trickling into the building. Anna and I took seats in the middle of the room, and I didn't miss the look she was giving me.

Nate and Jason started the class fairly quickly after that, and I paid them my full attention.

"So. This is Song Writing!" Jason said enthusiastically.

"Jason, they already know what it is. If they didn't know what it was, they wouldn't be here," Nate argued, rolling his eyes.

"Well do you have a better way to start off the class?" Jason retorted defensively.

"Hey everybody, I'm Nate, this is Jason, welcome to Song Writing. Let's get started."

Jason scoffed, "That was pathetic."

"Jase, just shut up and let's teach!"

Jason obliged and was silent.

"Alright, I know that you all want to write songs, like, now, but first you have to learn basics. So, Jason and I have compiled a pretty simple list of the tools you'll need."

Jason took over, "First, how many of you play instruments?"

Nate rolled his eyes at the stupid question and everybody raised their hands.

"We're at a _musical_ camp Jason. Of course people are going to play instruments…" The younger boy said.

"Right, well then. How many of you use your instruments to write songs?" he asked. I was actually surprised at how professional he was being through all of this. Jason wasn't as dumb as everyone seemed to think, but I had no clue he could sound so mature. Okay, that sounded mean, but what other way is there to put it?

A few hands dropped.

"How many of you would say that you are good songwriters?" Jason asked.

More hands dropped, mine and Anna's included.

"Mitchie, you're lying, you're an amazing songwriter!" Jason exclaimed as he saw my hand drop. Pink flushed my cheeks when he singled me out, and Nate cleared his throat. "What? It's true!" Jason added defensively.

"_Anyways_." Nate pressed on, "Lets get started with how to write a good song. First, it must have some sort of emotion behind it, a personal connection is beneficial. You have to make the listener feel what you feel, or what you would feel. You have to draw them in and make them want to listen. So, let's go around the room and share some emotions or experiences that you could base a song on."

Nate and Jason pointed to random people and we eventually made a list of different things to write a song about.

Jason looked up from the list, "One more… Mitchie! What's an idea?"

I sat frozen. I hadn't expected him to call on me. I really didn't want to answer, but blurted out the first word that came to mind, "Cheaters."

Nate cringed a little when he heard that and I felt Anna shift beside me. Add another piece to that puzzle she was figuring out. I figured I should just tell her so she's not left in the dark to figure it all out herself.

"Alright…" Jason seemed a bit startled by my answer as well, but wrote it down.

"Now, who knows what comes first when writing a song?" Nate questioned.

"The words?" someone called.

"The music?" Someone else shouted.

"Either can come first, although it's easier to work lyrics around music than having to work music around lyrics. But what should come even before these two is the title. You want to get a title for your song, and then make a list of questions the title makes you ask. You also want to make a list of words and phrases that the title may make you think of."

"You can make a list of opposites after you make the list of associates as well," Jason cut in, "And after you have this, then try to start your chorus and the verses will follow and so on and so on."

Jason and Nate were doing surprisingly well with their lesson as they continued on. They explained the full process of writing the lyrics for songs that expressed emotions but didn't tell stories, saying that they would get into writing songs that tell stories tomorrow.

I groaned as Caitlyn pulled me eagerly toward the dance class.

"Do I have to?" I whined. Alright, so maybe that was a little over-dramatic, but I really didn't want to see him.

"Michelle Torres!" Caitlyn scolded, pulling me along more firmly. I finally gave in as we rounded the corner and were in plain sight. I wasn't about to let anyone but Caitlyn see my reluctance to go in there.

We sat with Peggy, Barron and Lola until Shane came in. I admit, it scared me a little. It was like that first day last year, when he'd stormed in and ordered us around. He didn't exactly bark at us this time, but he cut it pretty close.

"Grab a mic, guys," he told us without even really looking at anyone, before continuing to his apparent destination: the CD player. I had an odd feeling that Shane was about to do that about-face change I'd mentioned yesterday…

Once we had our mics, we sat back down, and Shane actually looked at us. I felt his eyes on me but looked anywhere except at him. I finally felt his gaze leave me after what felt like an hour, but in reality, it was only a couple of seconds.

"Alright, so it's another year, and Unc- Brown has asked me to teach dance, yet again. So, I got some stuff ready and you all know that during the last two weeks we rehearse for the Final Jam jam session. So lets get started."

He took us through some basic steps, being mostly civil, although he did snap at some newbie for talking.

After the class ended, I was the first one out. Caitlyn hung farther back, but I told her I was going to help my mom. She nodded, although she didn't believe a word I said, and I took off.

As you guessed, I didn't go help my mom. Instead, I walked around aimlessly, eventually finding myself by the lake. I stopped short when I heard a voice singing to a guitar.

_"I should be number one with you,_

_Instead I'm falling short._

_I should be your whole wide world,_

_But I'm not even a small part._

_I don't want to live this way,_

_I don't want to try to compare._

_Let's face it._

_Oooooooooohhh_

_You don't love me like you should._

_You don't care like I wish you would._

_Instead of loving me so dear,_

_You're obsessed with your career._

_Yeahhhhhhhhh_

_You're obsessed with your career."_

As the singer struck the final chord, I stepped out from behind the tree to see who it was. I was behind them, so whoever it was couldn't see me. I had been prepared to see anybody except who I did.

"Tess?" I exclaimed, startled that it was her singing those words.

Tess whirled around, face set in that cold mask she'd become accustomed to, "Mitchie. What are _you_ doing here?" she snapped.

I was taken aback by her sudden change in attitude from our previous conversation, "Walking. Last time I checked, I _was_ allowed to."

Tess winced slightly, "Yeah."

I could tell that she hadn't meant to snap at me, but I also knew she wasn't about to apologize for it.

"So… I liked your song…"

"You did?" She actually seemed surprised.

"Yeah. It was really good. Is that what you were working on Opening Night?"

"Yeah. It's not finished yet, but I'm not totally sure. I don't usually write very much music. Especially not completely from scratch. Usually I at least have pre-composed music to work with."

"No, it's good. You should keep going with it," I encouraged. Tess was suddenly a much more confusing person than I'd made her out to be.

The blonde nodded at me, before turning to look out at the lake, "She's just… She just never has any time for me… And I figured that if… if she could hear me singing about it… maybe she'd understand… because music seems to be the only way to reach her…"

I had a feeling she was talking about her mom. I walked over and placed an awkward hand on her shoulder. Comforting the girl you hate isn't really something you can do with ease.

I spun when I heard voices calling my name. Tess's eyes widened. I knew it was because she didn't want to get caught with me, and it didn't surprise me in the least.

As Tess and I went our separate directions, I couldn't help but wonder why she had told me what she did. After all, Tess Tyler wasn't known for her openness.

* * *

**A/N: I know, those lyrics Anna sang up there weren't mine… They belong to Miley Cyrus… As much as I dislike her (no offence to Miley fans intended. Just my personal opinion).**

**However, Tess's song was me writing, so if you think I don't totally suck at writing songs, let me know, and I'll attempt more in future chapters. I have one that I'm working on for Mitchie to sing later, but if you guys think I'm bad at writing the songs, I'd rather not ruin this with me writing them. I can always find some pre-existing songs and none of the campers will sing originals this year! haha.**

**And also, in Mitchie's dream at the beginning, Caitlyn is crying, and I just wanted to explain that she and Nate aren't dating at that point, but she was crying because she's become good friends with Connect 3, and because she was friends with Nate and such, so it was sad for her as well.**

**One more thing in this huge author's note: my source for the song writing info in Nate and Jason's lesson: www. /write.html**

Just take out the spaces.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews, I won't delay the reading of the chapter any longer!**

* * *

**Chapter 4**

It was after dance class two days later that Shane first attempted to talk to me.

My shoe had come untied during the last few minutes of class, and I stooped to re-tie it as the class was leaving. Caitlyn must not have noticed my absence, because when I looked up, the room was empty. Except for me and Shane. Great.

"Mitchie-" he tried to say as I straightened, aiming to walk straight past him.

"No. Don't talk to me," I snapped, starting to walk away.

"Please, just let me explain!"

"Explain what? That picture pretty much said it all! But that's not counting the accompanying article!" I whirled around, yelling at him.

"No. Please. Just hear me out!" Wow. The Great Shane Gray was actually pleading...

"As far as I'm concerned there's nothing that needs to be explained," I told him with a tone of finality, turning back to the door. I heard him come after me. He grabbed my arm but I wrenched it away. "Stay the hell away from me!"

I walked angrily back to the cabin and sat down on my bed before I finally allowed the tears to fall.

After a few moments, I heard the door swing open. I wiped at my eyes furiously, refusing to let anyone see me crying over him, again. I didn't look up from my bed as whoever it was approached, quietly.

"Mitchie?" I recognized Anna's voice.

I sniffled, instantly angry that I'd given it away so easily.

"Mitchie, why are you crying?"

"I'm not," I tried, but my voice was watery. So much for that.

I heard Anna laugh softly.

"Okay, maybe I am."

She laughed louder.

"Why?" she questioned softly, placing a hand on my shoulder.

I looked up, "You don't know the whole story… But I had a run in with Shane."

Anna immediately nodded her understanding.

"I think… I think it's time I tell you the full story… Just so you can understand… It's not fair to be keeping you in the dark like this…" I sniffled again. My eyes were surely puffy.

Anna simply nodded, "Whenever you're ready to tell, I'm ready to listen."

I took a shaky breath, and was about to start speaking when Caitlyn rushed in.

"Hey, there you guys are!" She abruptly stopped when she saw my face, "What did he do?"

I shook my head, "Nothing Cait. It's nothing."

"If he hurt you I swear-"

"It's nothing."

Caitlyn accepted my answer reluctantly, moving toward us, "What are you two doing here?"

"I'm going to tell Anna the story. The whole story."

"Do you want me to go?" Caitlyn asked.

"No. You haven't heard everything either…" I admitted, and Caitlyn shot me a frown.

Both girls looked at me expectantly, silently.

I took another deep breath, launching into the story I'd bottled up.

"Okay, so Shane and I met last summer, at Camp Rock. He was a jerk that needed an attitude adjustment, and I was an ordinarily boring girl that wanted to be someone else. So, I did what any normal girl would. I lied. I told everyone my mom worked for Hot Tunes China. Actually, I said she was the president of the company. She was really the cook for Camp Rock," I flinched at the memory of my dishonesty, but continued on. "So I was getting along pretty well with my lies, until Caitlyn got kitchen duty… She ended up figuring out my secret. Lucky for me, she was a compassionate person, and didn't rat me out." I continued on explaining my first summer at Camp Rock while Anna listened intently. That was one of the things I loved about Anna. Even if she wasn't interested, she'd always listen. I didn't know if she was interested in this part of the story, but it would explain a lot of the connection I'd had to Shane, and why it hurt so much now that we were over.

After about fifteen minutes of talking non-stop, I finally got to the part that she most wanted to hear. The downfall of our relationship.

"Well, it started out like any other day… the guys were in Massachusetts. It had been four months since we'd seen each other. We'd talk on the phone and stuff, but we hadn't seen each other since the beginning of September. I admit, I wasn't sure if I could trust him or not. It was the first big test of our relationship. Too bad he failed…"

At this point in my story, Anna frowned. Caitlyn already knew about this part, so her face remained expressionless, though her eyes darkened.

"It was December 27th. I was shopping with Sierra, my best friend at home…"

"_So…Did I mention I'm going back to China this summer?" Sierra asked, smiling._

"_Only a few thousand times," I laughed._

_Sierra grinned sheepishly and I laughed some more._

"_So, you got any plans with a special someone?" Sierra hinted, nudging me with her shoulder._

"_I don't know. We haven't talked about anything specific yet. Didn't want to start talking about it prematurely." _

"_Mitch, he's coming home in a week! I'm pretty sure you can talk about what you're going to do then…"_

"_Yeah…I can't believe it's only a week…" I sighed dreamily, anticipating his return._

"_Earth to Mitchie!"_

"_Oh, sorry See!!"_

"_Yeah, sure you are…"_

_I rolled my eyes and continued walking. Scanning the crowded streets, I felt once again the irony of a Californian Christmas. There was absolutely no snow in sight, nor would there be… Christmas without snow was just plain wrong to me, although I'd lived in California for most of my life, having moved here from New Jersey when I was 5. Suddenly, something across the street caught my eye. I stopped short and blinked a few times, just to be sure I had it right. It couldn't be…_

_I ran across the street, ignoring the honking of annoyed drivers and Sierra's calls. I reached the newsstand that had caught my eye and gasped as I laid my eyes on the tabloid picture I'd seen. Sierra joined me a few seconds later, trying to catch her breath._

"_Jeez, Mitch, you'd think Shane was right there or something the way you- oh…" she stopped speaking as she caught sight of the magazine in my hands. "Oh my gosh. Mitchie I am so sorry! Maybe it isn't what it looks like!"_

_I ground my teeth together and concentrated on breathing as I opened up the tabloid to page 5, where the cover picture was blown up as well as a couple of other smaller pictures. The huge one kept drawing my eye though… It was of Shane kissing a girl. A girl who wasn't me…_

"_Mitchie, come on. Put the magazine down. Let's go home," Sierra attempted to pull my arm, but I stood rooted to the spot. How could he?_

_I stared blankly at the article, faintly registering some of the words._

'_**Popstar Shane Gray appears to have found love while on tour… No known romances to date… the two met earlier in the day… Seen in different spots on the town together… could this be the beginnings of love?… Shane Gray has not yet passed comment…'**_

_I kept staring blankly at the page. How could this happen? Why would he cheat on me? He told me that he wasn't going to forget about me, and he told me he wasn't going to move on!_

"And then the guy came up and looked at me funny as I just stared at the picture. And then he said the weirdest thing. He said 'Sorry girl, guess you'll have to pick one that's not taken'. And it was so weird to hear that. He thought that I was just another fan girl. He thought that I was just another groupie who pined after Shane Gray while he had no idea who I was, when, in reality, I was Shane's girlfriend. His girlfriend of 5 months and 14 days. And I ran. I dropped the stupid tabloid and ran. And Sierra ran after me and the guy gave us the funniest look, before shaking his head and muttering something. He was probably thinking about how stupid I was to get caught up on some out-of-my-league pop star. And it took me a long time to figure out that he was right. It wouldn't have ever worked out. I was delusional. And I sunk into that depression you predicted, Anna. And I never wanted to come out of it. And Caitlyn, I didn't tell you, but that depression was the lowest I've ever felt. And when he called, and when he messaged, and when he had the nerve to show up on my doorstep-"

Caitlyn finally interrupted, "He showed up on your doorstep?" She was livid. I knew there was a reason I hadn't told her. One of the things I love about Caitlyn: She's massively over-protective.

"Yes, he wanted to talk to me, but my mom wouldn't let him in because I refused to see him. I couldn't look at his face and listen to him tell me that he was sorry when I knew he wouldn't be. After all, he didn't care. I was just a game to him. Another one of the stupid girls that fell for him. I actually think he gets a sadistic pleasure out of it…"

I trailed off and caught Anna's eyes. They were full of sympathy. No, wait. It wasn't sympathy. It was different. It was… empathy. I frowned slightly and she looked away.

"Mitchie, I am so sorry, I had no idea. That's even worse than anything I had in mind…"

I smiled softly at her. Caitlyn, however, was looking quite angry.

"Cait?" I asked timidly.

"Why didn't you tell me he showed up? Why didn't you tell me he tried to talk to you? Why didn't you tell me how deep your depression went?"

"I didn't… I didn't want you to kill him, for one. And… I don't know… I guess I just didn't want anybody to know how weak I was, to let a guy affect me like that…"

"Mitchie, it's not weak to be sad when a guy you loved dumps you."

"It is when you're to the point where you start having thoughts."

Caitlyn's eyes narrowed, "What kind of thoughts?"

"Dark ones."

"How dark are we talking here Mitchie?"

"Not _suicidal_, if that's what you were thinking. If I was suicidal over him, I… Well I wouldn't admit to it… more of the _homicidal _nature…"

Caitlyn grinned slightly, "Don't worry, those are normal thoughts… I've had a few homicidal fantasies about Mr. Pop Star myself."

"No… They weren't like yours… I didn't want to kill _him_…"

"But you just said…"

"I wanted to kill _her_. So that she'd be gone, and we could forget her, and move past it, and maybe the world would erase her… but of course I knew that would never happen, and that only made me more depressed… To the point where I started to consider becoming an agoraphobic… and never leaving my room, ever. I couldn't watch TV for months, or listen to the radio. And walking into school was hell. There were pictures everywhere. I don't think I went for the first week after I found out… And I started to skip classes, and just sit outside, trying to make myself forget. My parents got to the point where they put me in with a guidance counsellor, but I skipped all of the appointments. It probably isn't that bad, but I just… I didn't want anybody to treat me any differently, especially not you… If they ever knew exactly what was going on in my head… And I could guarantee that I would get some very weird looks if I told anyone…"

Caitlyn nodded in understanding, before I rose.

"Well, now that we all know the tragedy that was Shane and Mitchie, who wants to get something to eat?" I asked, suddenly much more cheerful. Anna and Caitlyn were taken aback by my abrupt mood change, but rolled with it, and we set out to dinner. We were so caught up that we didn't notice Shane, barely concealed behind the bushes, who had been listening to my every word. We also didn't hear him sigh, as he left his hiding spot once we were out of range. And we definitely didn't see him walk back to his cabin remorsefully. We did, however, notice that he wasn't at dinner, and my spirits lifted considerably.

That is, until Caitlyn invited Nate and Jason to sit with us. What if he came in? He had nowhere to go but to come sit with us! I needn't have worried, because he didn't. I sat across from Jason, and we talked throughout the whole meal, and I almost felt as though it was all normal. As if Shane would walk through that door any minute and sit beside me. And he would grab my hand under the table and everything would be right again. Of course, this didn't happen, and a part of me was still missing by the time we took our paper plates to the trash. I wasn't sure if I was going to get it back, and that scared me. But what scared me more was that I wasn't sure if I _wanted_ it back.

* * *

I was sitting on the docks, humming some random tune and swinging my legs off the edge. The sun was setting and the view couldn't be more breathtaking. I closed my eyes for a few moments, just letting myself relax. When I opened them, I jumped in surprise. Anna was sitting next to me.

"Anna? I… I didn't hear you come up. How long have you been here?"

Anna smiled, "Only about a minute. It's peaceful out here."

I smiled in agreement. We sat in silence for a moment, before I remembered a question I'd wanted to ask, "Anna? It's not really my business, but I was wondering… how did you know… I mean what happened… I mean-"

"How do I know what you're going through?" She simplified. I nodded. "Well… I was… I met this guy, and he knew exactly what to say to me. It was like he saw right into my soul or something. I was so in love. I finally told him I loved him on our six month anniversary. And you know what he said back?"

"What?"

" 'I like someone else.' He told me that he was attracted to someone else after I told him I loved him. The next day I saw him making out with Chloe Johnson, our school's head cheerleader. I was heartbroken. I went through similar things as you until I realized he wasn't worth it. He wasn't worth my time if he didn't care about me."

I stayed silent, digesting what she had told me. Maybe she was right… maybe I needed to let Shane go…

"And what happened?" I asked.

"What?" Anna asked, confused.

"What happened to you and this guy? Did your friendship ever repair itself?"

"A little. I'm able to stand in the same room as him and have a civil conversation, but I really don't think I could stand actually being friends with him."

"Oh."

"Mitchie. You know, just because I can't doesn't mean you can't either. If you really want to be friends with Shane, then you should at least try."

"How did you-?"

"It's kinda hard to miss…"

I blushed slightly.

Anna laughed lightly, placing a hand on my arm, "It's alright Mitchie. You don't have to totally avoid him if you don't want to. It's ultimately your choice. Do what you want to."

"I don't know what I want!" I whined, "One minute I hate him, the next minute I love him. I'm so confused! Why can't this be simple?"

Anna laughed again, "Because it isn't. Just the way it is." She threw an arm around my shoulders and we leaned our heads together. The sun set the rest of the way before we finally got up and headed back to the cabin.

* * *

The next four days went by in a flash. I avoided Shane, but Caitlyn seemed to be doing just the opposite with Nate. They were actually getting quite close. And then it finally happened.

Caitlyn came running back into the cabin all flushed and smiling broadly. I'd never seen her smile so much before. Another thing she did that she never used to was squeal loudly.

I raised an eyebrow, "Wow, Cait. You and Nate must have had a pretty good time…"

"Yeah," Anna joked from her position on her bed, "You look like your face is about to crack. Are you sure it's healthy to smile that much?"

Caitlyn's smile dropped into a scowl for an instant, before returning. She dropped onto the bed, sighing dreamily, something else she never did.

"So… You going to tell us what happened or just sit there in la-la-land?" I teased.

Caitlyn's cheeks turned pink and she took a deep breath before blurting out, all in one breath, "Nate and I kissed!"

Anna and I jerked up, eyes widening, "Seriously?!" we both squealed at the same time.

"Yes, seriously!"

"OK, details! How, when, where, and why?" I was suddenly just as excited as she was.

"Well, we were sitting by the lake, you know, where the stone bench is?" We nodded, having been there many times before. It was just a random stone bench sitting in a clearing with a nice view of the lake. Not many people liked to go there before dusk because of it's seclusion from the camp. "And we were talking about Improv Jam coming up the day after next and all and suddenly he just leaned in and kissed me! It was so random, but so awesome!" She sighed again and Anna and I awed at the appropriate moment and I smiled brightly at seeing Caitlyn so obviously happy.

"What happened after?" Anna asked.

"Well, he just kind of looked away and started trying to back track and said he shouldn't have done that and everything like that and I said it was ok, and then I don't really know. I have no clue what we are now…"

"Have you considered asking him?" Anna asked, as if it were obvious, which, I had to admit, it was.

Caitlyn shot up, "That's genius! I hadn't thought of that!" We stared at her in disbelief.

"You can't be serious." I stated.

She blushed before jumping up, "I'm hungry. Who's hungry? Let's go get supper!"

Anna and I rolled our eyes at her clearly lovesick behaviour and followed her out.

I immediately regretted my agreement to go when I saw Shane sitting at a table with Nate and Jason. Nate caught Caitlyn's eye and waved her over. She pulled us along. Anna must have seen my mortified face, because she laughed.

"It'll be fine," She assured me quietly.

"Hey Nate!" Caitlyn greeted cheerily. Shane was sitting with his back to Anna and I so he hadn't seen us yet.

"Hey Caitlyn! Do you want to sit?" He appeared nervous. I smiled slightly. These two were too cute, "You guys can join us."

Great. Just what I wanted. An invitation that I couldn't turn down. I didn't get the chance to either, because Caitlyn and Anna accepted for me.

Anna sat down beside Jason, and I was immensely glad that Shane was sitting on the end and that there was a seat open beside Caitlyn. I did _not_ want to sit beside him. I slid in next to Caitlyn and Shane looked up for the first time. Ok, so maybe this was a bad idea… He was sitting straight across from me now. Our eyes locked for a minute before I tore mine away. I was getting better at it. Just then the food was put out and we all got up to eat. I got in the line and tensed when I realized that he was behind me. As I was serving myself a burger, I felt his arm brush across mine. I shivered. Damn. I wasn't supposed to feel anything. I was supposed to be mad at him. Why was I so damn confused?

"Sorry," He muttered, springing me from my reeling thoughts.

I debated on whether to pretend not to hear him or not, but I had to say something, "It's fine." I muttered back. He actually looked surprised that I responded.

When we sat back at the table he glanced up at me, trying to figure out what was going on, I guess. My eyes flickered to his before looking down at my plate. The meal passed by with meaningless conversation until the topic of Camp Rock jams were raised.

"So… Anna… Are you going to sing at any Jams this year?" I asked out of the blue.

"No. I don't think I want to sing in front of all those people just yet. I get stage fright."

"I do too, but I was fine in Final Jam last year," I assured her.

"Yeah, but Shane sang with you, so you weren't alone!" Jason protested. I flinched involuntarily and Shane looked away uncomfortably. Jason must have sensed the tension, because he spoke again, "Was I not supposed to say that?"

Nate rolled his eyes at the dumb question.

"It's fine Jason. It's the past. Why hide from it when you can bury it?" I responded, a certain amount of venom coating my words. This time Shane flinched.

Caitlyn frowned at me, and we lapsed into silence.

"So… Caitlyn! Are you performing at all?" Anna forcefully broke the awkward moment.

Caitlyn shrugged, "I'm not sure. I might if I could get a singer to mix for." She gave us pointed looks.

"You don't need a singer to mix for, Cait. You performed at Pyjama Jam last year without a singer. Everyone loved it." I reminded her.

"Right, until Tess pretended that the power cord was a snake."

Anna raised her eyebrows.

"Yeah. She was _that_ jealous that she actually had to act like there was a snake," Caitlyn confirmed.

"Maybe you should check your facts before you talk, Caitlyn. Because last time _I_ checked, _I_ had nothing to be jealous of _you_ for. You on the other hand…" That voice could only belong to one person.

Before anybody could say anything, Caitlyn turned in her seat, "You know what _Tess?_" she spat out angrily, "I could care less about you, or your mother, or your riches. At least I don't have to resort to sabotage to win."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Tess lied, too quickly.

"Sure you don't…" I muttered sarcastically.

"Did anyone ask _you_, Mitchie?" Tess snarled.

"Shut up Tess. Last time I checked Caitlyn didn't ask you for your opinion either. You just offered it up."

"I deserved the right to defend myself against her lies."

"Wow, Tess. Still trying to cover it up. Do your new lackeys know what you're really like? Do they know what you do to get attention? Or did you cover that up too?"

"Of course not. Hanging around you all last summer, a person learns a few things. Wouldn't want to follow your example," She snapped. I froze. She caught me off guard. I wasn't expecting that. I was about to retort when someone else beat me to it.

"That's enough Tess. Leave her- them alone," his voice was a low growl. He sounded really mad. My eyes widened a bit from the shock of him actually defending me. Even though he'd tried to cover it up, we all heard his initial 'her'.

"And since when are you involved in this, _Shane_?" Tess asked, although she seemed about as shocked as I did, if not more.

"Since you decided to pick a fight with a camper."

Tess said nothing.

"Now I'm sure that we would all appreciate it if you left us alone and went to eat your dinner in peace." He was clearly dismissing her, something that Tess wasn't too pleased about. "Or we could alert Brown of this incident and you can wind up somewhere I can guarantee you don't want to be."

"Was that a threat?" Tess narrowed her eyes.

"No. It's a warning of what's going to happen if you bother Mitchie or Caitlyn again this summer."

Tess's eyes widened in disbelief as she turned on her heel and stomped off.

Shane turned back to his food like he'd just commented on the weather. We all just stared. He looked up, annoyance edging into his eyes, "What? Brown would've been pissed if we didn't break it up before food, or more, started flying. We were sitting right here," He snapped, looking mostly at Nate. As his eyes met mine for a brief second I smiled slightly in thanks. He returned the brief smile before turning to stare at his empty paper plate. He was frowning. I couldn't help but wonder why, although it all became clear as we left the Mess Hall. Caitlyn and Nate walked out, side by side, followed by Anna and Jason, who were deep in conversation about something.

Shane walked along on the other side of Anna, while I walked on the other side of Jason. We weren't really paying attention, and I fell out of step with Jason. Shane did the same and we stood there awkwardly for a moment.

"Uh… so… Uh… Thanks. For…uh… shutting Tess up," I stuttered.

"If I didn't, I have a feeling you'd both be sitting in cars on your way home with ice packs."

"Right. Well… uh… thanks again." I said, before resuming walking.

"Mitchie, wait!" He called out. I stopped. I don't know why.

He frowned again.

"What?" I asked.

"I don't get it."

I frowned in a similar manner to him, signalling for him to explain.

He shoved his hands in his pockets, "Well, when I tried to talk to you a couple of days ago you wouldn't listen, and now you're actually talking to me? Or were you just breaking the rule to thank me?"

"Yes. Now I'm going to go back to trying to ignore you now." Okay, so maybe I was a bit over the top, but oh well.

I quickly fell back into step with Jason again and saw Anna shoot me a curious look. Shane merely looked angry. I was starting to feel the beginnings of doubt in my mind. I wasn't sure if this was what I wanted or not…

* * *

A/N: OK, so a longer update. A couple of pages longer than most of these have been or will be… So tell me what you think!


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Since I'm pre-writing this chapter, and have no idea if I'm going to get any reviews on the fourth one, I'm going to thank anybody who left a review on chapter 4 anyways. this is a bit shorter...**

* * *

I am massively confused. I spent all last night, when Anna and Caitlyn weren't badgering me about the whole talking to Shane thing, contemplating my feelings about him. I've come up with two lists.

_**Reasons I should TRY to be friends with Shane:**_

_**-He gets **_

_**-He knows me**_

_**-He understands me**_

_**(Are the first three reasons the same thing?)**_

_**-He's fun**_

_**-He's funny**_

_**-I can be myself with him**_

_**-I'm confident with him**_

_**Reasons Why I shouldn't be friends with Shane:**_

_**-He broke my heart**_

_**-He almost cost me my school year**_

_**-He almost cost me my sanity**_

_**-He's a jerk**_

_**-He broke my heart**_

_**-He's full of himself**_

_**-He made me think he understood me/got me/knows me, but he really didn't.**_

_**-I was meaningless to him**_

_**-He broke my heart**_

_**-He lied to me**_

_**-He cheated on me**_

_**-He told me he loved me when he didn't **_

_**- Did I mention that he broke my heart?**_

I stared down at the lists, knowing I had my answer. I wasn't willing to take any risks with Shane. I wasn't putting my heart back on the line. I couldn't afford to have him shatter it again…

Why was I even considering any of this? It was stupid to already be having doubts. I shouldn't be having any doubts at all! He broke my heart! He cheated on me! He doesn't deserve to be forgiven… EVER! What the hell is wrong with me? Am I _that _messed up? Am I so messed up that I have to actually make lists of what that jerk has done to me before I remember how much he hurt me?

* * *

I walked into dance class and caught Shane's eye. I immediately glared, turning away.

Class was rather…tense… Shane snapped at anybody that so much as moved before he told us to. I felt kind of bad for the people he snapped at. Luckily I wasn't one of them.

After class, Shane stood by the door waiting. I knew he was waiting for me. Caitlyn walked with me, until he grabbed my arm, roughly pulling me aside. I winced but he didn't seem to notice. Caitlyn glared at him, stopping when I did.

"Let her go," She snapped.

"I need to talk to her," He replied, with just as much anger.

"Well she doesn't want to talk to you. Now let go."

"No. Not until she explains exactly what the hell is going on in her messed up head."

Ouch. That stung.

"You know that I could start screaming right now and Brown would come running and I could tell him you were being violent with us and he could kick you out," Caitlyn threatened. Shane raised an eyebrow in challenge.

Caitlyn looked a bit surprised that he'd called her bluff.

"Guys! Stop it. Cait, it's alright. Go ahead. I'll catch up."

Caitlyn hesitated.

"Go. If I'm not back in 10 minutes tell Brown Shane's dumping my body in the lake or something," I was only half-joking. Neither of the two found it humorous.

Caitlyn chewed on her lip as she finally left. Once she was gone I yanked my arm out of Shane's grip, rubbing the place where he'd grabbed.

His eyes were angry, but some of the anger left as he saw that he'd hurt me.

"Did I…? I'm sorry!" He tried to approach me, but I backed away.

"Don't touch me!"

He flinched, "I'm sorry Mitchie. I didn't mean to hurt you. I just… I was frustrated, ok?"

I didn't say anything, just waited for further explanation.

"I don't understand this! One day you're glaring at me and yelling, the next you're actually talking to me civilly, and then the next you're back to yelling and glaring! What the hell is going on?"

"Do you seriously expect me to forgive you? You cheated on me! That's not really something easily forgiven! And as for the talking civilly, I was thanking you for biting Tess's head off!" I exclaimed.

"I guess I didn't expect it to be that easy…"

"You shouldn't expect it at all! Dammit Shane, you broke my heart!"

"I know that, and I don't expect you to forgive me! All I'm asking you for is a chance to explain what I did! A chance to justify it!"

"Justify? What possible justification is there for that?"

"I…" He hesitated.

"Thought so."

I turned and walked away. He caught my arm, gently this time.

"Mitchie, please."

It took all of my willpower not to look at his face as I answered firmly, "No. I'm sorry Shane, but you knew what you were doing, you can't call it an accident, and you most definitely can't say you were drunk. There's no other possible explanation."

"But-"

"No. I'm done."

"Mitchie-"

"Shane, stop."

I pulled my arm away from him once more and hurried away, desperate to escape the sudden claustrophobic feeling gripping me. As soon as I knew that I was out of earshot of the cabin, I let the tears fall. I sure was crying a lot these days.

"Mitchie?" A voice startled me.

"Jason! What are you doing here?" I sniffled. I hadn't realized where I was walking and had ended up down by the docks.

"Walking. I heard you crying. Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine."

"Shane drama?"

"How'd you know?"

"The only time I've seen you cry is when Shane's been a jerk to you."

I allowed myself a small smile at that remark. It _was_ true.

Jason studied me for a minute, before asking if he could sit. I nodded. We sat, immersed in the silence for a bit, before he spoke again, "You can cry. It won't bother me."

I smiled slightly once more. Jason was such a good person. I let a few tears escape. He smiled at me, while still gazing out at the lake. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and I leaned against him, letting the tears flow more freely. I didn't want to cry over Shane, but a part of me needed to. It was as if every last remnant of him, and us, was in these tears, and I had to shed them to be completely rid of everything.

"You know, it might not help to say this, but he really is sorry. He's been a wreck."

"Yeah, well he should have thought of that before he stuck his tongue down that bimbo's throat."

"Maybe you should give him the chance to explain it. It may change your outlook on the situation."

"I don't know anymore Jase. I'm just so damn confused now… I think I just need to stay away from anything to do with this for a while…"

"Okay."

And that was something I loved about Jason. If you didn't want to talk about something, he immediately dropped it. He didn't push. He waited until you were ready to tell him something. Shane didn't push too much either, but you could tell that he wanted to know, and it bothered me so much that I'd end up telling him and- DAMMIT! No thinking of Shane!

We sat in silence for awhile. Neither of us felt the need to say anything. That was another thing I loved about Jason: he didn't force conversation. He would sit in a comfortable silence with you as long as you wanted.

"So, how have you been Jase?" I asked.

"Pretty good. OH! I forgot to tell you! Shane ordered me a birdhouse for my birthday!"

"Really? He finally ordered it?"

"Yeah! Wait, you knew about it?"

"Yeah… he told me."

"Oh, and thanks again for the book about bird-watching. It really sparked my interest into birds again. Although if you ask Nate about it he won't have the same reaction…"

I laughed softly. Nate was never excited about Jason's obsessions. Shane hadn't been either, before me, I've been told.

"Hey Jase?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"For what?" He asked, tilting his head to the side slightly.

I smiled softly, "For being there."

He returned my smile and we just stared at each other for a moment, before I averted my eyes to look at the lake once more.

When I returned to the cabin, I was met with Caitlyn's quizzical look.

"What?" I asked.

"Why do you look so… happy?" She asked suspiciously, hitting a couple of keys on her laptop.

"No reason really." I plopped gracefully down onto my bed smiling.

Caitlyn continued to eye me suspiciously, "What exactly happened with you and Shane?"

"Nothing! Absolutely nothing happened." Caitlyn frowned because I was still smiling.

"Okay then… Oh, Brown's going to post the audition dates for Duet Jam at dinner."

"Oh. Are you going to do it?" I asked her while laying back against the pillows.

"Sure, why not? You?"

"Yeah. I mean, how bad can it really be?" I asked.

* * *

"WHAT?!" I shrieked, staring at the list of partners for Duet Jam. I couldn't believe this! Wasn't it like… against the camp rules for this to happen? Wasn't this like… illegal? Okay, so maybe not illegal… But still, this was not right!

Caitlyn winced at my volume, "That bad, eh? Who'd you get?"

I just pointed silently, unable to form any coherent words. Caitlyn followed my finger, her jaw dropping in shock as she saw the name written next to mine.

_Mitchie Torres……………………… Shane Gray_

* * *

**A/N: So, what do you think? As if you didn't see that coming… How do you think this whole pairing is going to work out? And just to give you an idea on the time, we're about at the end of the second week of camp give or take a couple of days. Four weeks left in the camp.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Thank you guys so much for the reviews! So sorry it's taken me so long to update… I never have anything to say in the beginning author's notes………**

* * *

**Chapter 6**

"Ah, so I see you've discovered your partner Miss Torres," Brown spoke from behind me.

"Uh… yeah…" I said lamely.

He grinned before turning around, "I suspect you have some objections. Please follow me."

I followed him out of the Mess Hall as he requested, waiting until we were in his cabin to finally ask, "Aren't instructors not supposed to participate in camp activities with campers?"

"Ah, you're forgetting last year, poppet. Connect 3 performed at Beach Jam, as well as Shane singing with you in Final Jam."

I winced just a little bit before rebutting, "But I wasn't in the competition for Final Jam, and it wasn't planned out."

"Yes, but Shane, Nate, and Jason are also the same age as many of the campers, so they fit right in."

I would have pointed out that really only Nate was the same age, because Shane and Jason were older; Shane being 19 and Jason being 20. Nate was only 17, like Caitlyn and I. Anna was already 18 and just finished her senior year, but she was allowed to attend Camp Rock on the exception that she was 17 at the cut off date of January 30th. However, I didn't bring it up because I didn't want to push my luck with Brown. He was the owner of the camp and my instructor, after all.

"Yeah, but… doesn't this give me an unfair advantage? Working with an instructor?"

"No more unfair than Caitlyn."

"What?"

"Caitlyn is paired with Nate."

"Wait, so Nate's participating too?"

"Of course. I wouldn't just have Shane. That might hurt Nate's feelings."

I barely contained my eye-roll, staying silent.

Brown smirked good-naturedly at me before turning to leave the cabin calling over his shoulder, "Best of luck, love!"

I sighed once he was gone, running a hand through my hair. This was not what I'd been planning on.

I returned to the Mess Hall and plopped down next to Caitlyn.

"Hey. Did you talk to Brown?" she asked, turning from Nate.

"Yeah, not that it did any good. I can't believe this."

Caitlyn gave me a sympathetic look.

"Can't believe what?" Anna's voice asked from behind me.

"My partner for Duet Jam…"

"Who is it?"

"Shane," I informed her darkly.

Anna winced, "Oh, ouch. Tough break."

"Tough break? More like disastrous!"

"Wow Mitch, dramatic much?"

"I love being dramatic. It happens to be one of my favourite hobbies."

We were stopped from further conversation by the door opening and Shane walking in. He paused when he looked at me, but continued on to read the list. I watched him intently, just to see his reaction. He seemed genuinely surprised, judging by the way his eyes widened and his jaw dropped just a little bit. He slowly turned, looking at me once more as he walked to the table. He sat and an awkward quiet engulfed the table.

"So…" Nate attempted conversation, "Having fun at camp so far Anna?"

She nodded and everyone glared at him so he stopped trying.

* * *

"Mitchie! Wait!"

I sighed, but stopped walking anyways. Why did I always stop?

"What, Shane?" I snapped.

"Whoa, don't bite my head off, just came to ask when you wanted to get together to rehearse this whole duet thing," he said, holding his hands up in mock surrender.

I just stared at him.

He nodded, "Okay, I know that the last thing you want to do is be my partner, and I assume you already talked to Brown and he refused to switch, so we're stuck together. Might as well make the best of it."

"I guess," I crossed my arms.

"Look, Mitchie, I know you hate me, but can we please just get through this? Then you can go back to ignoring me or whatever you're planning on doing this week."

I rolled my eyes, "I don't plan what I do. I follow my feelings. And if those feelings happen to be ones of hate, I'll go with it."

He flinched slightly, "You never were one for subtlety."

"Glad to see you remember," I snapped coldly.

"I remember a lot of things," he said softly.

I frowned, "You shouldn't. You have no right to."

It was his turn to frown, "Why not? Why can't I remember? They're my memories, I can remember them if I want to."

"Whatever," I muttered, turning to go.

He gave an exasperated sigh, "Mitchie…"

Just then, Anna came up to us.

"Hey Mitch, ready to go?" She smiled.

"Yep," I agreed, and started off with her, knowing that Shane wouldn't follow me if Anna was here.

"Mitchie!" I heard his voice call out after me.

I turned around to look back at him.

"Meet me by the docks after dinner tomorrow? Bring your guitar? We can get started."

I nodded hesitantly, "Sure."

I turned back around and continued walking with Anna to song writing.

"Well, looks like you two are going to have fun…"

"Yeah. Loads," I snapped.

"Ooo, touchy."

We walked on in silence until we entered the room. We were quickly busied with writing music to our song lyrics we'd been working on for the past two weeks. Mine had been finished for a while now, and I'd taken the time to write lots more. I didn't have anything to write about today, so instead I helped a struggling Anna with her music.

"Oh come on Mitchie, you really don't need to do this! I'll just sing covers for the rest of my life!"

"Nonsense, I want to help you. I'm bored out of my mind writing my own work. I've written at least ten songs in two weeks! I'm out of ideas."

"Fine. But I'm telling you, I'm a lost cause."

"No you're not! You're just… lyrically challenged…" I laughed.

Anna's mouth fell open in mock-hurt.

"Ladies. Lets get to work," Nate spoke as he walked by us. I bit my lip to keep from laughing, but sadly it had no effect. I burst out into fresh giggles as Anna joined in. Nate raised an eyebrow at us before moving on.

* * *

So, have I mentioned how happy I am for Caitlyn? How happy I am that she's finally got the man of her dreams? How happy I am that our groups have merged? And how extremely happy I am that Nate's group just happens to contain Shane? And how extremely happy I am that we eat every single meal together? Every single meal…

I've actually started skipping some of the meals so I can avoid Shane. I hide out in the kitchen with my mom while everyone else sits there happily, talking and laughing as though nothing is wrong. The only indication I get of people noticing my absence are occasional glances at the kitchen door from Cait and Anna.

So, since I've been skipping meals lately, I decided to skip lunch, but went to dinner. I was very hungry but didn't eat much, as Shane was sitting across from me again, and I wanted out of there as fast as possible. I finished whatever I'd put on my plate when I'd come in and rose from the table.

"I'll meet you there in a half-hour," I muttered to Shane, before disposing of my plate and leaving the mess hall. I entered my cabin and plopped down on my bed.

I must have fallen asleep, because I woke up to something blonde in my face. As I blinked and came into focus, I recognized Tess's face staring down at me.

"Mitchie? Mitchie?" she called.

I stirred slightly, "What time is it?"

"Seven."

At these words I shot up so fast that my head spun and everything went black for a few seconds. I'd left the mess hall at six! I was supposed to meet Shane at six thirty! SHIT!

"Thanks for waking me Tess. I really have to go." I didn't wait for a response before breezing past her and out the cabin door, leaving my guitar behind in my hurry.

When I arrived at the docks I spotted Shane still sitting there, strumming his guitar. I started to approach him, until I heard him singing. I knew I shouldn't, but I stopped to listen before he noticed I was there.

"_I don't wanna fall asleep_

_Cause I don't know if I'll get up_

_And I don't wanna cause a scene_

_But I'm dyin' without your love_

_I'm beggin' to hear your voice_

_Tell me you love me too_

_Cause I'd rather just be alone_

_If I know that I can't have you."_

I suddenly wished that I hadn't heard that. I took a deep breath to calm my suddenly pounding heart. Pretending that I hadn't been there would be relatively easy, in theory.

I came rushing up to him, all out of breath, apology written all over my face, "I am so sorry. I fell asleep and Tess woke me up and it was seven and-"

"It's fine Mitchie, really."

"It is?" My eyebrows raised in surprise, I was sure that he would hold that against me.

"Yeah, unlike some people around here, I don't hold grudges," he snapped. Okay, and just when I thought we might be civil. Oh, who am I kidding, I had no intention of being civil with him…

"Yeah, well unlike some people, I don't give people good enough reason to," I retorted, watching his eyes flicker with hurt. Excellent.

"Fine, whatever, can we just be done with the insults?"

"Whatever."

He rolled his eyes in exasperation, "Okay. So, what do you want to do a song on?"

"I don't know… what about broken promises? Oh, no, broken hearts! Or liars, cheaters, jerks…"

"Enough already! I get it, I hurt you, can you just stop rubbing it in my face?"

"You get it? You get it?! You can not say that you get it! You will _never_ get it! How many times do I have to say that? You have _no_ idea how badly you hurt me Shane. None."

"How would you know that I have no idea? You're not the only one that got hurt here you know!"

"Yeah well you deserved to get hurt. It was your fault in the first place. I did _nothing_ to deserve what you did to me."

"Mitchie… please just let me explain what happened…"

"No. I've seen enough of it to know what happened! If you don't recall, there were pictures!"

"Yes, but if you don't recall, at one point in time I told you that tabloids don't always have to full story!"

"What is there to get wrong? You and some girl were kissing in the middle of the street! Doesn't take a genius to figure that out!"

Shane sighed, "Fine. Believe whatever you want. You're obviously never going to listen, are you?"

"What is there to listen to?" I asked coldly.

"You know what, maybe we should just meet some other day. This obviously isn't going to work tonight."

"Works for me," I said, standing up and walking away. Shane stayed sitting in the same position, and by the time I had reached the edge of the docks, the slow, beautiful melody from before once again drifted through the crisp evening air.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry it took so long, and it's a little short too. I'm trying to think of some fluff and fights to cushion the main events that are still to come… And i know that it is generally assumed that Caitlyn can't sing, and that will be addressed during the next few chapters.**

**The song lyrics are Can't Have You by the Jonas Brothers.**

**ALSO, if anyone has any suggestions for the Duet Jam song for Mitchie and Shane, please let me know in your review. I have considered some, but none of them are really working out. I might write one, but that could be disastrous. So any suggestions are welcome. Just give me the title and name of the artist and I'll take it into consideration. **

**Thanks!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Alright, so I am sorry it's been awhile. But I have a horrible English teacher that adores writing assignments so I've written approximately 8 essays over the course of two months. I know, this may not seem like a lot to some, but it's a lot. This teacher has totally destroyed my love of writing, and I don't want to post crappy chapters, so my updates will be a little slower. I am so sorry, but I don't want to value of the writing (if its good, if not, nothing to lose) to go down any, so I'll wait until I'm in the mood to write before I do it so that this doesn't get jumbled.**

* * *

**Chapter 7**

_Ringing. Ringing. Why wouldn't it stop? Why couldn't he just leave me alone? It was driving me insane! I had to answer. I had to talk to him to tell him I never wanted to talk to him again. I eyed the phone warily. It rang again. I reached out and snatched it up before I could think about it again. I pressed the phone to my ear._

"_Mitchie don't hang up!" His voice was dominated by desperation._

_I drew a shaky breath, "I wouldn't have answered if I was going to hang up."_

"_Please, just listen for five minutes."_

"_No."_

"_What?"_

"_No. You made your choice. Don't call me again."_

_I hung up and gave in to the tears that I had forced back throughout the entire conversation…_

I jerked awake. Damn! I thought those stupid nightmares were gone…

I rolled over and tried in vain to go back to sleep. Eventually, I rolled out of bed, pulled my hair into a ponytail, and changed into my favourite black track suit. If I couldn't sleep I might as well go for a walk.

I exited the cabin quietly and started in the direction of the lakeside trail. It had wooden sections and a breathtaking view of the lake. Memories swirled around me as I passed familiar places in the camp. There had only been a few days after camp, but Shane and I had made the most of those days. Soon my feet started to pound out a steady rhythm and I was running. I was beating my memories of Shane into the ground, I was pounding the frustration and the pain out of my system. Maybe this method would work. I needed everything that was Shane to disappear, but I didn't see that happening while we were partners on this stupid Jam.

My feet hit the ground faster and faster and soon I was sprinting. The wind whipped through my hair, my blood rushed through my veins, pounded in my ears. I relished the alternate universe I was in while I ran. I welcomed the raw feeling of my throat as the air scraped through it, trying to fill my lungs but never quite succeeding. My breath came in gasps as my legs gave out underneath me and I crumbled. I lay on the docks for half a minute, before raising myself up to inspect the damage. Not too bad, just some scraped up knees. Nothing a few minutes of sitting couldn't cure.

I moved off the path to a rock and sat down, still gasping for breath. I had never felt more exhausted than I did right then, but it was worth it because, for the moment, all thoughts of Shane had completely evacuated my mind.

* * *

After about ten minutes I was breathing normally once again. I stared blankly out at the lake before me. It was so peaceful. Peace such as this made it hard to believe that during the day this place was alive with chaos of clanging instruments and melodic voices. Right now was the only time I could sit in the quiet and really think, but it was also the only time I couldn't. And that was what I wanted. I wanted to just sit. No thoughts necessary.

"Mitchie?" A voice sounded from behind me, startling me out of my serenity.

"Nate? What are you doing out here?" I asked, surprised to see him. I hadn't really seen a whole lot of the curly-haired pop star outside of class.

"Thinking. I like to walk in the mornings. It's peaceful," he replied, shoving his hands into the pockets of his black skinny jeans.

"It is."

"Couldn't sleep?"

"No. Every time I thought I was safe, the nightmares came back."

"Nightmares?"

"Yeah," I responded. Nate nodded, not needing an explanation. "Do you want to sit?"

"Sure." Nate walked forward and sat on the rock next to mine. We succumbed to the silence for a few minutes, before he spoke again, "Do you ever wonder what your life would be like if you'd never come to Camp Rock?"

I frowned slightly. I wasn't expecting a question like that. "Sometimes. If I hadn't caught that break last year, I would probably be the same, shy girl I was before Camp Rock. This place… this place opened so many doors for me, I can't ever repay Brown for opening this place."

Nate half-smiled, "Me neither."

"What about you?" I asked after a brief pause.

"What about me?"

"Have you ever wondered about it?"

"A little. I'm so caught up in living in the future that I sometimes forget to live in the present, or reflect on the past."

"The future's a dangerous place to live. It's unpredictable."

"I know. But I've been looking out for the band and for myself for so long, it just seems natural to be always looking two or three steps ahead, but I don't look back."

"Sometimes it's good to not look back. You shouldn't waste your life agonizing over what could or should have been," I said. I wasn't sure if that was more for his benefit or for mine.

"Yeah, but sometimes I feel like I need to look back, relax a bit, but I just can't, because I'm automatically in the future. Maybe that's why Caitlyn's my first girlfriend."

"First?"

"Yeah. I've been so caught up in growing up I really haven't dated."

"I know what you mean," I said quietly.

Nate raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't put much effort into getting out there and even really talking to guys before… I was too busy trying to get out of high school. I figured it would all magically get better in the work world…"

"In our line of work, it just gets worse." Nate smiled sadly. "It bothers me. That if Caitlyn and I last past the summer, the press is going to be all over us. I can't protect her from it."

"If?" I asked, smirking slightly.

Nate rolled his eyes, "You know what I meant."

"Yeah… yeah I did."

We lapsed into a comfortable silence until Nate's watch timer went off.

"That's my cue to go," Nate said, standing up.

I looked at him questioningly.

"I set my timer to make sure I get back before the guys wake up. I don't want them harassing me about this."

"Oh." I smiled, understanding what he meant. "It was nice talking to you Nate."

"It was nice talking to you too Mitchie." He smiled, and I returned it, before he turned and walked back to the path, heading to his cabin, before turning back momentarily to ask, "Hey, what happened to your knees?"

I laughed, "Nothing. Tripped."

He nodded and continued on his way, no explanations needed. I sighed and heaved myself off the rock, deciding to head back to my cabin as well.

On the return journey, which was farther than I'd first thought, I pondered the odd circumstances. How talking to Nate, one of Shane's best friends, brought me happiness, not the expected pain. It had been nice to sit and talk about nothing that was in any way related to Shane. I didn't understand how his two best friends could be two of the most comforting people I knew (aside from Caitlyn, of course). I had never really gotten to know Nate over those four months Shane and I… But I found myself liking him more and more. He seemed complicated, in a simple way. Even to me that initially doesn't make sense, but in a way, it makes perfect sense. I arrived back at the cabin to see that no one had even woken up, but the minute I slipped under the covers, the alarm clock went off and we all had to get up again.

* * *

Breakfast. I'd had such a refreshing morning that I'd decided to risk it. That was a mistake. The peace I'd felt earlier in the morning was brought to a screeching halt the moment I laid eyes on him. I hated that. How I could go from one emotion to the next so suddenly and swiftly. It was like being on a roller coaster, and I wanted off. Of course, the attendant never lets anyone off until he's satisfied that he's got them good and sick. Then he presses the button to stop the car and thinks about letting you out before he starts the next ride. Looks like my attendant is unnaturally cruel.

I pick at my food, not really paying attention to anything. I was trying to ignore Shane from across the table. I couldn't take it any more. I had to leave.

"I'm going to go help my mom in the kitchen," I said, pushing myself up. I felt Shane's eyes staring at the scratches on my arms, but ignored him.

I entered the kitchen to see my mom eating some of the French Toast.

"Hey honey. Shouldn't you be out eating with Caitlyn and Anna?"

"I would if certain people would go away," I snapped bitterly.

My mom's face was instantly sympathetic, "Honey, I'm sorry, but you've got to deal with it. Shane's going to be around no matter what."

I sighed, she had a point. "You're supposed to say 'oh honey, I'm so sorry!'"

"Oh honey, I'm so sorry!" My mom said.

I rolled my eyes, "Too late for that now."

"Well it won't help you any skipping breakfast. Eat something."

"Yes mom…"

I stared at the notice board while I chewed on the French Toast. Improv Jam was tonight. Every camper was expected to at least sing one line. I wasn't looking forward to it.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, that was not as long as I intended at all, but I had to get something up. Please review! (if you're still here…)**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: At long last, an update!!!!**

* * *

**Chapter 8**

Excited chatter, nervous laughter, anticipation brimming, the essence of Camp Rock before a Jam.

Improv Jam, the first of the new Jams, was highly anticipated throughout the entire camp. We were all eager to see the outcome of these new Jams.

As I tugged a brush through my unusually knotty hair, a result of my revived nightmares, I heard Caitlyn and Anna starting to stir. Anna stumbled around grabbing anything she needed, her eyes still weighted down with sleep. Caitlyn, however, was uncharacteristically chipper. She bounced out of bed and seemed to be gliding across the floor of our cabin. Tess remained asleep with her face mask in place.

"Cait? Is everything okay? I didn't hear you get in last night…" I finally asked, even though I had been completely awake when she finally decided to come to bed.

"What?" She asked, seemingly snapped back to reality, "Oh, yeah right. I was out with Nate last night. It was amazing. We were rehearsing for the Duet Jam."

"Really. And how much practise did you get done?" Anna asked, raising her eyebrows suggestively.

"None of your business. How're you ad Shane coming along, Mitch?" She questioned, swiftly changing the subject.

"Just fine," I answered, turning away in annoyance.

"Riiiiiiiight. That's why you're still hiding out in the kitchens."

"I didn't know that there was anything wrong with helping my mom."

"Unless you aren't really helping her, and you're just doing it to get away from certain ex-boyfriends."

"I'm not helping my mom just to get away from Shane. Oh, and she says it's pancake day tomorrow, you in?"

"Pancake day?" Anna asked, thoroughly confused.

"Yeah, she makes pancakes once a week. We got to help her make them last year. It was fun, so of course I'm in!" Caitlyn exclaimed, "And don't change the subject."

"I'm not. We were talking about my mom and the kitchens," I said innocently.

"And Shane."

"So?"

"You're going to have to talk to him at some point. You _are_ working together, after all."

"Yes mom."

"Hey! I'm too young to be a mother. I'm just a very wise friend."

"Sure you are."

"Hey! Can you guys keep it down?! I was _trying_ to sleep!" Tess's angry voice cut through our conversation.

"Yes, your highness," Caitlyn muttered.

"We were just leaving, Tess," I replied a little louder, so that she'd hear us.

"And I care why? Do whatever you want, it's not like I need a play-by-play."

"Wow, what a nice comeback," Caitlyn snapped sarcastically, "I thought it was great… The first time I heard it; on _13 Going On 30_. Nice to see your creativity's growing."

"Whatever, Caitlyn. Nobody cares about what you have to say. I won't waste my good comebacks on someone as insignificant as you."

"Yeah, they are few and far between. Better hold onto the good ones before they slip away. Or maybe you'd do better to get them out as soon as you think of them. They might get lonely, being the only thing in that hollow head of yours."

I rolled my eyes and followed Anna out of the cabin, Caitlyn close behind. I couldn't understand how Tess could be so nice to me, but yet still treat everybody else like dirt. It seemed like she had a lot more to her than she let everybody see, and it perplexed me as to why I was the one she was letting peel back the layers.

* * *

Just to prove Caitlyn wrong, I sat through breakfast. No hiding out in the kitchens, no running away. I was facing him. Just for today. I could handle that.

Halfway through breakfast, everything was fine. I was totally wrong about everything. I could so handle this.

I reached out for the jam and my hand met another already gripping it. I looked up, alarmed, apology already out of my mouth, when my eyes met his. I so could not handle this. I jerked my hand back, fingers on fire.

Hurriedly, I stood up. I had to get out of here. I couldn't do this. I couldn't pretend that everything was normal when it obviously wasn't. It wouldn't work.

"I've got to go. See you later," I muttered. Before anyone could say anything, I was gone.

I left the Mess Hall in search of some fresh air before classes started for the day. I perched on a rock and stared out at the trees. It sure was beautiful out here.

I stared down at my tingling hand. Even after everything, he could still do that.

"It's never going to stop, you know." A voice behind me suddenly said. I jumped as he continued to talk, "That feeling you get, that tingling. It's not going to stop."

"Who said it ever started?" I asked roughly.

"I know you, Mitchie. I know exactly what's happening, and you can't deny it."

"Enlighten me, then."

"You keep running away because you're afraid that you'll fall again. You're afraid to open yourself up and maybe see that you want to give me a second chance. You don't want to expose yourself to the possibility of getting hurt again, but it's a risk everybody has to take sometime. Just take the risk, Mitch. I won't hurt you again. I promise."

I could feel him behind me, standing so close. I almost gave in. He always knew exactly what to say. He knew how to get into my head, manipulate my thoughts.

"I can't."

"Can't? Or won't?" He breathed into my ear, barely audible.

I sucked in my breath, and whipped my head around to tell him to go to hell, but he wasn't there. In fact, there was no trace of Shane ever having been anywhere near me at all…

* * *

**A/N: So I'm sorry it's really super short again, but I really wanted to give you guys an update. So, if anybody's still out there, reviews would be greatly appreciated. And I know that a whole lot didn't happen in this chapter, and it was mainly filler, but I needed that last bit in there.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: So I'm so sorry it's taken me forever to post………. But I'm back in Canada… here's an update!**

* * *

**Chapter 9**

I slipped into Brown's class just barely on time.

"Ms. Torres. Nice of you to join us," He stated, giving me a stern look as I moved to the seat beside Caitlyn.

"Sorry," I muttered.

Caitlyn and Anna's eyebrows drew together in identical frowns. I shrugged them off while Brown began his lecture for the day. I didn't pay any attention at all, but I'm sure it was riveting.

What the hell had happened back there? Had I imagined Shane? Had he really been there, just trying to jerk me around some more? If that was what he was trying to do, he wasn't going to just get away with it.

Caitlyn's elbow in my ribcage startled me from my confusion.

"Hey, it's time to leave. Unless you love Brown's class so much that you want to stick around…"

"Oh!" I stood quickly, almost too quickly. My head spun and I pressed my palm to my forehead, trying to make it stop.

"Hey, you okay?" Caitlyn asked, concern lacing her words.

"I'm fine. Just got up too fast."

She looked doubtful but accepted my explanation.

"Hey, um… what…uh… what exactly happened after I left?" I asked tentatively.

"Why do you ask?"

"I was just wondering…"

"What happened?"

"Nothing. I just want to know what happened!"

"Nothing happened. Shane left a bit after you did and we all continued on our merry way."

This sent my mind reeling. Shane left. So he had time to find me. He might have actually been there. Which meant that I hadn't been hallucinating.

I didn't say anything in response to Caitlyn before Anna pulled me off in the direction of the song writing cabin.

"So Nate and I are going to come around and hear what you've got so far," Jason announced.

Anna gulped loudly, and I squeezed her arm reassuringly. I'd heard her singing in the shower room, and her song was amazing. Much better than anything I could do.

The class erupted into quiet chatter while Nate and Jason approached the first camper. Some stopped to listen, while others frantically started scribbling, obviously having made little progress in the two weeks of camp we'd been working. To me, it was ridiculous to not have anything written when I'd filled my song book with at least ten complete songs.

With nothing to distract me, my thoughts shifted back to this morning's events. Shane had left the Mess Hall, but where had he gone? What had he done? Had he followed me? Had he gone back to his cabin? I wasn't sure which option I wanted to be true…

"Mitchie."

I was brought back to the present by Nate's voice.

"What?"

"Let's hear what you've got."

I handed him my song book, "Which one?"

Nate's eyes widened as he flipped a couple of pages. "How many are there?"

"Ten."

He flipped a couple more pages, before handing the book back, pointing at the one on the right side, "This one."

"That's the only one that isn't done."

"That's why I want to hear it."

I hesitated for a moment before picking up my guitar.

"_Every girl wants a fairytale,_

_Where her dreams become real._

_Every girl wants her shining prince,_

_And what he makes her feel._

_I thought I had it all,_

_And then we hit a wall._

_I was Cinderella,_

_Living in my fairytale,_

_You were my prince,_

_You saved me from the dark._

_I trusted you and I needed you,_

_But you threw it in my face._

_Guess I can't be Cinderella today._

_You held me close and whispered,_

_Sweet nothings in my ear,_

_And I believed you…_

_I was Cinderella,_

_Living in my fairytale,_

_You were my prince,_

_You saved me from the dark._

_I trusted you and I needed you,_

_But you threw it in my face._

_Guess I can't be Cinderella today."_

I looked up to see everybody staring at me.

"What?" I asked nervously.

"Mitchie… that was… wow," Anna supplied.

"Ok, seriously, what?"

"Seriously, that was awesome!"

"You don't have to lie to make me feel better. I can take it."

"I'm not lying!"

"Yes, you are."

"No, she's not," Nate said.

A blush worked its way up to my cheeks as Nate and Jason moved on and I realized that the entire class had been staring at me.

"How do you do it? I wish I could write like that…" Anna sighed dreamily.

I rolled my eyes.

The rest of class passed by in a flash, and soon I was filing into the Mess Hall once more. I grabbed whatever I could eat quickly and escaped to the kitchens quickly. This morning had unsettled me too much to stomach eating with him. Maybe I'd get braver at supper…

"My, isn't this a surprise!" My mom exclaimed as I slipped through the swinging door.

"Mom, please."

She made a face and turned back to her work.

"I'm only saying you can't hide out here forever."

"How about until one day before?"

Her eyes flew upward for a millisecond before her lips tugged up in a half-smile.

I sighed and pulled on an apron.

* * *

Dance class. My own personal hell. I entered the cabin a bit apprehensively. I hadn't seen Shane since this morning. I'm still not exactly sure where I last saw him, just the general time period that I did see him.

He was there, flipping through CDs, looking completely normal and at ease as I made my way with Caitlyn over to where Lola stood.

He turned around, CD in hand, and caught my eye for a split second, before turning away. Maybe I _had_ been hallucinating… If I hadn't been, wouldn't he have done more than just glance at me?

"Mitchie, can you come here?" His voice called across the room. Not too loud to draw much attention, but loud enough for me to hear. Great.

"What?" I asked once I was standing a careful distance beside him.

"We need to start actually rehearsing, not just yelling at each other. Tomorrow after supper."

I bit back the retort on the tip of my tongue and simply agreed, returning to Lola and Caitlyn.

* * *

Supper. I was going to eat in the Mess Hall, mostly because I didn't feel like eating a burger in the kitchen that smelled of beef. It was just wrong.

I slipped into a seat beside Anna, determined not to have to sit beside Shane.

It definitely wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. It was actually… bearable…

The nervous chatter in the room took off some of the pressure to keep the conversation flowing, and when we weren't talking, we were busy eating. There were no awkward moments, no tense encounters. It was good, as far as suppers had gone so far.

The jam was directly after supper, and I could feel the buzzing energy filling the small area that was crammed with people. Dee had come by earlier and explained what was going to happen. Upon entering the indicated area, we were to submit our names into a jar. This jar would then be taken up on stage, where Brown would randomly draw names of five singers who would have to come up on the stage. The first singer would start the song off, and once they had two lines, the next singer would start and so on. The five singers would eventually have made a makeshift song, however short it may be. Brown said this helped with thinking on your feet if you ever forgot the lyrics on stage. I think it was just an excuse to have a jam.

"Alright campers! Welcome to your first Improv Jam! Some of you may find this very easy, but some of you may find it a bit more challenging. Keep in mind that the song must make sense…"

And with those words the night began. A few names were called and nervous campers came up. My eyes started to wander through the crowd as the people on stage stumbled through lyrics and trying to think things up.

It wasn't exactly the most exciting thing to witness, but it got a lot more interesting once Anna's name was called.

"I can't go up there! I won't do it!" She protested.

"Mitchie Torres!" Brown called.

My heart stopped for a moment out of shock before I quickly recovered and grabbed Anna's arm and dragged her with me towards the stage. I didn't want to do this, but at least I could get it over with.

"If I'm doing this, so are you!" I growled at Anna's protests.

* * *

**A/N: Alright, I wanted to go a bit further, but I wanted to post something more. So I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope there are people left to read this……….reviews are love!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: So here you are, another update, finally. I just started working this week, and balancing that with two other stories, school, exams, and all the other ideas in my head is starting to get hectic. I'm not trying to excuse my lack of updates, but please don't be too angry if i take awhile before I update again!**

**I forgot to mention last time, that the song Mitchie sang was one that I wrote, and so is the one in this chapter. This one sucks, so i'm truly sorry.**

* * *

We were on stage with about 4 other singers. Brown explained the procedure again to us, then eyed Anna and I.

"This ought to be interesting…" he said, his eyes twinkling in anticipation.

To be honest, even though it wasn't very interesting, it was a very good exercise. Maybe they should make it into a class instead of a jam next year though…

An overconfident girl named Heidi was first up in the group. The idea was that the band would play some music, and Heidi would start off with some lyrics, then another guy named John would continue her idea.

As soon as the band started playing, I saw Heidi lose her confidence almost immediately. Her face was blank and she was struggling to come up with something articulate; I could tell.

The room was engulfed in silence as every pair of eyes in the room turned to stare at the four of us. More than a hundred eyes watched as Heidi's mouth opened and closed a few times, her voice stolen by stage fright.

I remembered being in this situation myself not too long ago. I hated the feeling of all the eyes on me, and could understand what Heidi was going through. Before I could stop myself, I stepped forward, raising my microphone. I hadn't planned on it, but the words started pouring from my mouth before I could stop them.

"**You told me that you loved me,**

**I guess you lied.**

**You told me I was different,**

**That you'd never make me cry.**

**Can't believe I couldn't see,**

**The lie in your eyes.**

**But now I know…"**

I lowered my microphone and smiled as I heard the sound of Heidi's voice, firm but quiet, pick up where I left off.

"**It was all a game,**

**What you did to me.**

**It was all a game,**

**Why was I so naïve? **

**It was all a game,**

**Why couldn't I see?**

**You're moving the pieces**

**And it's not alright with me."**

The band kept playing as Heidi stepped back, beaming. She mouthed a quick 'thank you' to me before relinquishing the spotlight to John, who seemed to have a bit more confidence as well.

"**I didn't mean to hurt you,**

**And I need you to know,**

**That I'm sorry,**

**For breaking your heart,**

**I didn't mean it,**

**You were everything **

**right from the start."**

My smile froze. Had he been coerced into singing that? I know this is a ridiculous idea, but I can't help thinking that he was. I'm not sure if my delusion makes me feel better, or worse.

I don't have anymore time to occupy my mind with my own problems, because Anna stepped up shakily, mic in hand. I could tell she wasn't sure what to do now that it was her turn. She stood breathing carefully.

"Anna," I whispered, catching her attention, "Look at one person in the audience, and sing to them. Right to them."

"I…I can't."

"Yes, you can."

"**You're telling me too little**

**Way too late.**

**Why did I ever think **

**That we were fate?**

**Because I hate you and I love you,**

**And this was not a game to me…"**

"**But you seem to think it is…" **Heidi sang, surprising us.

The last words of the song flowed out over my lips before I could even think about them.

"**You just keep moving our pieces,**

**But I'm done playing this game."**

We ended to applause, and Brown winking at us as he came on stage, making all sorts of explanations about how great we were. He did that for every group, but it still made me feel as though what I'd put out there was worth it. It made me feel better, getting it all off my chest.

That is, until I saw Shane's face. His arms were crossed angrily over his chest, his eyebrows pulled together over smouldering brown eyes. His burning glare met my eyes for a split second before he turned on his heel and stormed out of the hall. I stopped short, suddenly overwhelmed by unjustified guilt. Why was I feeling guilty? Before I could stop myself, my feet were on autopilot and I was following him outside.

I found him sitting on a rock just off the path, glaring at a tree.

I had absolutely no idea what to say now that I was here. All that came out was a lame, "Shane…"

His head turned a fraction of an inch towards me, then back again, "What."

It wasn't a question.

"I-" What exactly was I going to say? Was I going to apologize for speaking my mind? For letting him know how I feel? Was I going to say I'm sorry for expressing myself? "I don't know…"

"Do you honestly think that's all you were; a game?"

My silence was all the answer I could provide.

At that, Shane jerked upright, kicked his foot at the dirt in front of him, whirled on me. "Dammit, Mitchie! How could you think that? How?!"

I finally found my voice as anger bubbled inside of me. "Oh, I don't know, how about the fact that you were kissing another girl while we were still together? Or did I miss the part where we broke up?"

"Mitchie, it- It wasn't what it looked like…"

"Really? Because I'm not blind, you know. I saw the pictures, I read the article."

"It was a tabloid!"

I felt a sinking feeling in my gut. I had to ask, but I didn't want to know. "Let me guess: It was a tabloid, and tabloids lie! Tell me, Shane, was this tabloid lying?"

His silence was all the answer he could provide.

"Thought so," I said quietly, the words tasting bitter on my tongue.

"Mitchie, I- You have no idea how- I'm sorry."

"You just don't get it, do you?! Sorry isn't good enough! You broke my heart, Shane! Shattered it into a million pieces! I won't accept a sorry."

"What if sorry is all I have to offer?" Shane asked softly, looking up and meeting my gaze for the first time. His eyes were softer, more vulnerable, almost hopeful.

I shook my head slowly, tearing my eyes from his, refusing to be put under his spell. "That's not good enough."

He moved quickly, advancing toward me. Before I could react he was an inch away from me. I backed up. He followed. I felt the rough bark of a tree behind me. I couldn't go anywhere. His hands fixed on either side of the tree, trapping me.

"Then tell me what is."

My breath caught in my throat. My mind raced.

"I-I don- I don't know."

Shane's expression turned angry in the matter of seconds. He drew his right hand back and smacked the tree beside my head. I gasped involuntarily, and he recoiled.

"I'm- I'm sorry. I didn't… didn't mean… I'm sorry…" He turned and ran a hand through his hair.

"I…I should go…" I made about a million different hand gestures before I started to walk away.

"Mitchie, wait. I- We- The Jam…"

He looked so defeated.

"Right. How about… tomorrow?"

"Sure. See you then."

The tension from the encounter lingered even after I'd put a fair distance between us. It was like we were stuck in the same gear just grinding our teeth and trying to move up, but failing miserably, because we didn't know how.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Here it is!**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 11**

I was the first to get to the dock we'd agreed to meet at, and sat waiting in nervous anticipation. I hadn't seen Shane since last night, and wasn't sure what to expect. I'd gone to all my classes and all meals, but he hadn't shown up for any of them. I had to admit, I was a bit worried.

I swung my feet over the edge of the dock while I hummed quietly to myself. I didn't hear Shane when he approached behind me, but felt his presence almost at once. I turned the tiniest bit to acknowledge him, and he sat awkwardly beside me.

"So…" I snapped the thread of silence stretching between us.

"So…"

More silence.

"We should… um… we should get to work…" Shane mumbled, pulling his guitar from behind him. I nodded my agreement as he started to strum absently.

After another few minutes of not speaking, Shane abruptly stopped playing and turned to look at me properly for the first time since we'd been here.

"Mitchie, look. I know you can't or don't want to forgive me-"

"Can't," I interrupted.

"_Can't_ forgive me," Shane corrected, holding back a sigh and barely concealing the roll of his eyes, "But we need to put it behind us, or at least to the side. Can't we just be professionals here? Deal with it maturely? We're not going to get anywhere unless we can talk freely and openly about ideas. Can't we just put our personal issues aside and try to be friends?"

I contemplated this. He had hit the nail on the head, really. We weren't getting anywhere, and we weren't exactly shining examples of mature young adults. Adults had to deal with people they didn't like all the time, but I didn't see any of them sticking out their tongue and stomping their feet.

"Okay," I agreed.

He looked surprised, "Okay?"

I nodded firmly, "I'll put this aside if you will."

He half-smiled hesitantly, almost as though he was afraid to, and held out his hand for me to shake on our agreement, "Friends?" He asked hesitantly.

I held in a scowl. Friends was not the right word at all. I would not be friends with him.

"Professionals," I amended, placing my hand in his for the briefest period possible, ignoring the slight tingle that resonated in my fingers from the touch of his skin.

For some reason, a temporary truce seemed to be exactly what we needed. After our agreement was made, it was like most of the tension in the air ebbed away, leaving only a trace of it in the air hanging between us. We were still careful to maintain our distance, both physical and mental, but being alone together was no longer as uncomfortable as it had once been. Of course, as soon as we were through, things would just go back to normal. Just because I'd put aside my anger and hurt for a bit didn't mean it would disappear.

* * *

Something occurred to me as I was walking alongside Caitlyn to dance class.

"Caitlyn, I've never heard you sing before," I commented as we trekked through the trees.

"Yeah… I don't really like to sing if I don't have to."

"So then why'd you sign up for Duet Jam?"

"I dunno. I guess I thought maybe it was time for a change."

"It couldn't have anything to do with the fact that you could possibly impress Nate?"

Caitlyn looked down quickly, caught. I saw her lips spread into a smile she tried to repress. "Not even a little."

I knew she was lying.

* * *

The next few times Shane and I got together to work on the song we would play in the Jam, the tension seemed to be nonexistent. I was surprised how quickly it faded when all our issues were set aside. I hadn't expected it to seem this natural… Almost like he never kissed someone else…

No. I wouldn't let my thoughts go there. I couldn't start trying to convince myself that it had never happened, because it had.

However, this didn't stop me from forgetting about everything that had happened between us, if only for a little while; to lower the walls a little. Not completely, of course, but low enough that I could laugh with freedom and not have to worry about being guarded around Shane. It was nice to pretend that our relationship was normal for once, instead of feeling the usual strain.

Nobody really knew what was happening, since Shane and I kept to our agreement and our professional attitude only lasted when we were working. Outside of that time, we were cordial, but it wasn't the same. The walls were back up, the tension once again thick in the air.

A full two weeks after our first meeting, I lay in my bed. I was attempting to sleep but couldn't due to all the thoughts swirling in my mind. I couldn't stop thinking about my changing relationship with Shane. I didn't want this to happen. I didn't expect to feel this way. I wasn't supposed to be feeling this way. It was like my memory of everything I went through because of him was being slowly wiped away. I could feel myself falling, and I couldn't see a rope to grab on to stop it.

**A/N: So that's the end of a very short chapter, but I have a pre-written one ready to go next. I wrote it a really long time ago and have been dying to get it posted. I didn't want to drag it out anymore than it already is, so I skipped over writing dialogue scenes of Shane and Mitchie. More will come next chapter!**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Ok, I know thunderstorms are such a cliché… but I tried to put my own spin on it…**

* * *

Alright, let me just start off by saying that thunderstorms make me uneasy. I'm not one of those people that, like, hyperventilates or anything, they just aren't my favourite thing to sit through.

Let me put it this way: I'd rather go to a week of hour-long detentions where all I can do is stare at the wall than sit through a thunderstorm. But the actual thunderstorm, 'flash-boom-crash' part isn't what I really hate about them. It's the power outages that get me. Don't take that the wrong way, I'm not afraid of the dark. I just don't like that helpless feeling you get when the power goes out suddenly and darkness is pressing in at you from every angle and you can't see where anybody is and you don't know if it was really the thunderstorm or if some maniac on a killing spree cut the power lines and is coming to kill you… Alright, so the whole maniac thing is a little far-fetched, but it happens in the horror movies, and the whole power outage during a thunder storm is just too much like the set-up of one of those horror movies for me. Don't take that the wrong way either, I'm not deathly afraid of horror movies. I actually kind of like scaring the shit out of myself. It gives me a rush.

But anyways, back to the whole power outage thing. I hate the feeling of being in a room that's lit up one second, and you can see everything, and then it's pitch black the next and you can't see where people are and what they're doing and if they all left, or if they're coming up behind you or whatever else they might do. I know that now you're thinking, how do I sleep at night in a pitch black room? No, I don't use a nightlight. I feel perfectly safe burrowing down in my covers, my back to the door. That way, I can't see the room, and the room can't see me. Perfect strategy. My window also allows moonlight to come in, as well as my alarm clock giving off light, so my room isn't all that dark.

But anyways, back to the topic: Power Outages And Why They Make Mitchie Torres Uneasy. I just hate the feeling of being trapped in the darkness. It feels as though I'm cornered, and there's no way out. There's also that whole thing of, I can't see anybody, so I have no clue if anybody's there or not, and if not, then I'm alone, in the dark, and vulnerable. And no matter how hard I try, I can never see anything.

So imagine how I felt when the power went out in the Mess Hall after dinner. There had been a raging storm pretty much from the time we sat down. Our camp was separated, as some campers were stuck in their cabins, Brown having told them to stay where they were over the loudspeaker before the power outage. Naturally, some didn't hear him, and arrived in the Mess Hall soaking wet and cold. Luckily, Mom had some towels in the storage room for them. Our group had already been in the Hall before it started raining, so we were dry and comfortable. We took our seats at the table, and imagine my discomfort when Shane and I just happened to sit down next to each other. We may be getting along better, but that still didn't mean I was comfortable sitting so closely next to him. During practices we kept a careful distance between us at all times. Anna sat on Shane's other side, Jason being forced to sit next to Nate and Caitlyn, who were too absorbed in the 'honeymoon' phase of their relationship to actually acknowledge any of us. Nate had finally asked Caitlyn to be his girlfriend, and they'd been inseparable ever since. I rolled my eyes at their cheesiness. I wondered if Shane and I were ever that bad…

We'd already filled our plates, and were about to eat when the first crash of thunder sounded. I saw Shane shoot me a worried glance as I hesitated for a split second, before continuing to eat. Yes, Shane has been with me during a thunderstorm in which there was a power outage. We were in his apartment, to be exact.

I ignored the look, and continued eating. After I had disposed of my dishes and reclaimed my seat, the lights flickered. I tensed for a split second, and I felt Shane's hand brush against my leg. He pretended it was an accident, but we both knew it wasn't. What made me angry though, was not that he did it, but that it actually made me feel a bit more relaxed.

We all finished eating and were sitting around, being bored. Brown had closed the doors and we were trapped inside the hall until the storm blew over. I tried not to show my boredom at Jason, Shane, Anna and I just sitting and watching Nate and Caitlyn being absorbed with themselves.

After about five minutes of this, I got fed up and spoke, "Hey, you guys? Are you going to come back to reality anytime soon?"

They both looked around as if just seeing us for the first time.

Anna frowned, "What did you do that for Mitch?"

"What?" I asked defensively, "Like you all weren't thinking it."

There was a heavy silence, before Caitlyn spoke, attempting to lighten the mood, "So, how about that weather? Pretty nice, huh?"

Unfortunately she hadn't noticed it was raining.

**

* * *

**

We had now been inside for about an hour. The lights had flickered twice, but nothing serious had happened. The storm was still raging on outside, and Brown had taken a head count, noting that about twenty campers were unaccounted for. We hoped they were safely in their cabins. As I surveyed the people in the room, I noticed something.

"Hey, guys, have any of you seen Tess?" I asked, craning my neck to look.

Caitlyn glanced from side to side, before saying, "Nope. Oh well. Hope she found a nice little shack to hide in."

"Cait, come on. Seriously. She told me she was coming."

"You talked to her? Why?"

"Because she talked to me first."

"She talked to you first? Seriously?" Anna asked, disbelieving.

"Yes," I snapped, fed up with their doubts.

Nate spoke up, "When did she say that she was coming?"

"She just had to go back to change her shoes. Something about not wanting to wear the same pair to all three meals," I rolled my eyes despite my growing concern.

"Well, how long would it take her to do that?" Anna asked, biting her lip, I could tell I'd hooked her into feeling a bit concerned as well.

"It should only take her about ten minutes tops. She should have been here before Brown told everyone to stay where they were."

"Mitchie, relax, nothing bad is going to happen to her. Even if lightning did try to strike her, she'd glare at it and it'd back off," Caitlyn said bitterly.

"Caitlyn, would you lay off the bitterness for like, a second?" I snapped. Man, I was snapping a lot suddenly. Caitlyn looked taken aback by my irritability, but shut up.

Shane caught his uncle's eye and waved him over, "Hey, Uncle Brown, have you seen Tess?"

"No, can't say I have," Brown answered after a moment's consideration.

"She said she was going back to our cabin to grab some new shoes, she should be here by now," I cut in.

"Well now, that won't do. I'll see if I can't ask around and find out what people know."

Brown sidled away, and Caitlyn said, "There, happy? Can we just forget about her now?"

"Cait, bitter isn't a good look for you."

"Mitchie, what is your problem?"

"What is my problem? My problem is that Tess could be out there and you don't care!"

"Why should I care? After everything she did to me? Why should I care what happens to her?"

"Because she's human! She's just like you or me!"

"Oh, no! I am _nothing_ like Tess Tyler!"

We hadn't realized it, but we were so caught up in our argument that we were standing, leaning over the table, glaring at each other. We also didn't realize that everyone in the Mess Hall was staring at us. I felt a hand grab my arm and pull me back down just as Nate grabbed Caitlyn.

"Guys, enough! Just drop it!" Shane commanded irritably, and I discovered that the hand on my arm belonged to him. He didn't move it as he spoke though.

"Fine," I muttered, snatching my arm from his grasp.

"Whatever," Caitlyn mumbled, though she didn't pull her arm away from Nate.

**

* * *

**

Brown had been asking around about Tess, though no one seemed to know her whereabouts. I never thought it would happen, but I was actually worried about her.

I spotted one of Tess's new lackeys, I hadn't bothered with a name, and wondered if she'd know where the blonde diva was. I noticed that she was looking around nervously. She appeared as if she knew something more than she was letting on. I waited until she left the table she was sitting at to go to the washroom in the back of the kitchen before rising.

"I…uh… excuse me," I stuttered lamely, before following her. I could feel Shane's eyes watching me as I made a beeline for the bathroom.

I waited until she emerged, before I grabbed her arm, pulling her back out of the view of everyone.

"What do you know about Tess?" I asked immediately. I was actually very surprised at my demeanour. Normally I wouldn't be so forward and confrontational, but for some reason, I felt like I needed to know that Tess was alright, even though she was a total witch most times.

"N-Nothing," She stuttered, avoiding my gaze.

"You're lying. Why won't you tell anyone?"

"Because… Because it was my fault she was going there."

"Going where?"

"She was looking for her silver Jimmy Choo flip-flops and I was there, and I remembered that she left them in my cabin, and she was going to give up and wear something else, but I told her that I knew where they were, so she told me to go get them but I said no and walked away. I'm pretty sure she went to my cabin to get them. If I would have just gone…"

"So she went to your cabin?"

"I thought she was…"

I turned on my heel and hurried back into the larger room, past my mom, who was questioning what I had been doing back there. I located Brown almost immediately, notifying him of Tess's supposed whereabouts. He thanked me and then left to talk to Dee, as well as contact the rest of the camp's faculty which they were communicating with via walkie-talkie. I turned around to see Jason behind me.

"What was that? Did you find Tess?" He asked.

"One of her lackeys thinks that she's in cabin 3. She was getting her designer flip-flops."

"Oh. That's good." We walked side by side back to the table in silence, where Anna, Nate and Shane looked up at us for an explanation. Even Caitlyn looked a smidge worried now.

"Possibly in Cabin 3 getting designer flip-flops," I stated, sitting back down in my original seat beside Shane once more.

That seemed to ease everyone's minds, and we went back to idle chit-chat. I looked over at Caitlyn. We hadn't looked at each other since our little fight about twenty minutes ago. During a lull in conversation, we both made eye contact, and at the exact same time cried, "I'm sorry!" We jumped up and hurried around the table and hugged each other. Anna rolled her eyes, while Jason jumped up, yelling 'GROUP HUG!' and swarming in to pull his arms around both of us.

"Aw. I love it when everyone's happy," Jason cooed before we all sat back down. Nate wrapped an arm around Caitlyn's waist, and she leaned into his side, smiling brightly.

An odd silence seemed to settle over the Mess Hall before a particularly loud crack of thunder broke it. A few people screamed, others laughed. I jumped slightly. Shane shot me another worried glance out of the corner of his eye, almost as though he was waiting for me to jump down to the floor and curl up into the fetal position.

I looked to Caitlyn, who had jolted ever so slightly. Nate was smiling at her while her cheeks were tinted a delicate shade of pink. Caitlyn had always said she didn't get scared easily.

Tired of sitting, we all simultaneously stood up. We hadn't decided to get up as a group, we just all did it at the same time. We shared a laugh when we realized this. We rearranged ourselves so that Nate and Caitlyn were now sitting on the table, their feet on the bench, his arm around her waist as it seemed to always be, with Jason, Anna, Shane and I standing so that we formed a semi circle in front of the table. I found myself in-between Nate and Shane. Shane was on my right, Nate on my left. Caitlyn was to Nate's left, obviously, and then Jason and Anna brought us back to start the circle over again with Shane. We talked about a whole lot of nothing for awhile. And then it happened. The power finally crashed. The lights went out and we were all plunged into complete darkness. I heard myself gasp. Lots of people screamed. Brown and Dee were trying to calm everyone down, but I wasn't listening. I was too caught up in that horrible feeling of being trapped alone in the darkness again. My right hand reached out to grasp something, anything. I wasn't sure what I was searching for until I found it: Shane's hand. I wasn't sure exactly why I did it, but I grabbed hold of his hand tightly. I felt his arm tense in surprise, before it relaxed. He gently squeezed my hand as our fingers naturally intertwined. I felt the small jolt of panic that had gripped me dull at the physical contact as Shane just stood there, letting me drain his hand of all blood circulating through it. There was a scrambling around before lanterns were lit and flashlights were turned on.

Brown hollered to get our attention, "Guys! Settle down! Please, don't panic. We seem to have had a small problem with the power. We will try to see what's wrong once the weather decides to cooperate. Again, don't panic!"

After the initial chaos subsided, everyone began talking once more. Nobody seemed to notice that I was still gripping Shane's hand.

He waited for a minute or so before he leaned over and whispered in my ear, "Uh… Mitch? I can't feel my fingers…"

I blushed a deep pink as I looked down, noticing that our hands were indeed joined. I almost hadn't realized I was doing it. I pulled my hand away from his, "Right. Sorry."

I barely caught his 'don't be' before Jason started telling some joke that he'd heard three days ago.

* * *

**A/N: So i wrote this whole chapter before i even started writing the story... haha! what did you think of it? i know it doesn't really fit with how i've been writing the rest of the chapters, but i loved it too much to change it...**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: I am SO sorry that I haven't updated in pretty much forever… I'm a horrible person… life is INSANE!**

* * *

**Chapter 13**

I suck at keeping promises. I promised myself that I was absolutely never going to go back down that road again, but here I am…

Since the night of the thunderstorm, Shane and I have been growing increasingly civil, despite my mind's persistent refusal. I can't stop myself.

During rehearsals I find myself smiling more freely, laughing more often, leaving my guard unattended. The barrier between us falls away in rehearsal; it feels like there are no secrets between us, no false fronts, just us, like it used to be.

* * *

It's been a week and a half since the thunderstorm, but it feels like so much longer. We've been meeting at the dock every night trying to get something together, although we have yet to find a concrete idea. Mostly we just strum mindlessly, deciding on chord progressions and tempos. We'll decide on lyrics later; for now, neither of us has anything we want to write about.

* * *

"So what exactly is going on with you and Shane?" Caitlyn asked, that no nonsense tone slicing through the silence in our cabin.

"What do you mean?" I asked carefully.

"You know what. You're talking to him, laughing with him. You're forgiving him."

"No. No, I'm not."

"Yes you are. I know that look."

"I'm not forgiving him."

"Don't even try to fool yourself here, Mitch. I know that look; that little gleam in your eyes. You haven't looked this happy the entire time we've been here. Wait," Caitlyn's back straightened suddenly, eyes widening, "You're not… You're not… _falling_ for him, are you?"

"What? I don't know what you're talking about. Of course I'm not falling for him. Why would I?" My words fell over each other in the rush to escape my lips.

"You're not good at lying. Mitchie, please don't do this. Don't put yourself through this again."

"I'm not. I know what I'm doing, Caitlyn."

Caitlyn sighed, concern captivating her face, "I'm not so sure you do…"

I rolled my eyes. I'd learned my lesson with Shane; I was a big girl. I could look after myself!

Pushing up from the bed, I shoved my feet into my black Converse and strode to the door.

"Where are you going?"

"For a walk."

"Mitch…"

"I can't," I snapped, holding up a hand to her wearily, "Do this right now."

I left her, sitting open-mouthed on her bed, and headed toward the lake.

* * *

I don't know how long I sat there, staring out into the darkness. The water of the lake was turbulent, the moon covered by clouds. A light breeze blew through my hair, raising goose-bumps on my arms, but I didn't mind. The cool air kept me on my toes, separated the real thoughts from the comfortable ones.

I started as a board creaked behind me. I turned quickly only to see a silhouette I knew all too well.

"Shane. What are you doing here?"

"Couldn't sleep. You?"

"Had to get away from Caitlyn."

"There's something you don't hear very often. You two get in a fight?"

"Something like that."

Without invitation, but not entirely unwelcome, he sat beside me. A sudden gust of wind blew across the lake, sending a round of shivers down my spine.

Wordlessly, Shane shrugged out of his coat, draping it around my shoulders despite my protests. We sat in silence a while longer, before I finally found my voice. I needed to ask, even though I didn't want to. Complicating things was not what I needed right now.

"What's going on, Shane?"

As usual, he understood without me having to explain. "I'm not sure."

His answer wasn't helpful in the least.

"This isn't normal."

"_We're_ not normal."

We lapsed back into silence. I savoured the warmth of his signature leather jacket wrapped around my shoulders.

Before I could stop and control it, tears welled in my eyes.

"Why? Why did you do it?" I whispered.

For a moment I wasn't sure that he'd heard me.

"I didn't mean to," he said at last, just as quietly.

I scoffed, rolling my eyes, tears threatening to escape as I looked at the sky to stop them. My hands twisted in my lap. Of course that's what he would say.

"I'm telling you the truth. I never wanted to hurt you."

"Yeah well you don't always get what you want."

Shane turned to look at me, but I kept my eyes focussed on the water, turbulent as ever.

"Mitchie, I would never… I didn't…" He broke off, sighing angrily.

"Yeah, well you did," I whispered, moving to stand.

Shane rose with me. "Mitchie. Please. You have to believe me."

"And why should I do that?" I asked coolly, crossing my arms.

"Because… Because I love you."

The color drained from my face. I'd always dreamed of hearing those words, but not like this; never like this. It was supposed to be sweet, romantic, not part of a desperate plea for forgiveness. It didn't matter in that moment that I'd waited to hear those words from his lips for four months, and it didn't matter that a part of me melted at his proclamation. He'd said it out of desperation, nothing more. It was his last chance, and he took advantage of it.

"Right. You sure have a funny way of showing it."

The pain in his eyes chipped away at my hard exterior. This wasn't right. The words I'd waited for finally spoken, and I was throwing them back in his face.

Without another word, I turned on my heel and walked off back to the cabin, a single tear trailing down my cheek as I walked away from the man that loved me.

* * *

**A/N: Hello? Anybody still out there? If you are, please leave a review. I swear I won't take that long to update EVER again!**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: I'm sorry it's still been awhile… not quite six months… but probably close haha.**

* * *

Tess was the only one in the cabin upon my return. She lay sprawled across her bed, earphones blaring some wordless harmony I'm sure I heard in an elevator. She didn't seem to notice my entrance as she flipped the pages of her magazine. I had to do a double-take on the magazine cover, just to be sure I'd read it correctly; I didn't take Tess to be a _Cosmo_ subscriber.

Sighing, I plopped down on my bed, suddenly exhausted. All of this confessing of love had me wanting nothing more than to curl up into a ball and sleep for about the duration of camp. I hadn't wanted this situation to get any more awkward than it already was, but of course it had. Love wasn't supposed to be involved. He had no right to say that.

What was wrong with me? Any other girl would have been ecstatic to hear _the_ Shane Gray profess his love for her; hell, any other girl would have been ecstatic even if it wasn't _the_ Shane Gray.

After a moment's consideration, I reminded myself that the words themselves weren't the problem. It was the fact that he'd said them in an attempt to win me back; he'd said them hoping to erase the past.

Part of me wished fervently that I hadn't reacted this way. My situation would be entirely different if I had accepted his confession, rather than discarding it. My head was spinning with every possible scenario and the repercussions of the one I'd chosen, so much so that I didn't hear Tess get up until she was hovering over me.

"Do you mind? I'm trying to meditate," She scowled.

"Oh, right. Sorry," I mumbled after recovering from a mild heart attack.

As I swung my feet off the bed, Tess seemed to be wrestling with something.

"Mitchie, wait." She sighed as I approached the door. "Do you… Do you want to talk about it?"

I turned slowly, eyebrows knitting together. Did she just ask what I thought she did?

"What?"

"You heard me. Whatever's bothering you. Do you want to talk about it."

The next words out of my mouth surprised me, "Actually, I do."

Surprisingly, Tess didn't look annoyed or regretful at my acceptance of her offer.

Before I knew it, everything in my head came spilling out, crowding the air between us. As I spoke, I felt my chest lighten with each word. It felt amazing to get it all out there. Caitlyn was biased, but Tess… Tess was a clean slate. She listened, stayed open-minded, and didn't judge.

Once I was finally through, silence engulfed the both of us, the weight of everything I'd just shared pressing down on us.

Tess inhaled deeply, "Wow."

I avoided her eyes, unsure of what to say.

"Can I ask one question?" She finally inquired.

"Please."

"You said Shane loves you."

I nodded.

"Do you love him?"

I opened my mouth to reply, then abruptly closed it again. I realized then that the answer I'd thought was instinctual wasn't. And that, deep down, I really didn't know what the instinctual answer was.

Tess seemed to understand my silence but, unlike Caitlyn, she accepted it without so much as a blink of the eye.

"Tell you what. Why don't you get back to me on that?"

I frowned at her in confusion.

"You can figure it out when you return that jacket," Tess said, pointing to the jacket.

I hadn't even noticed that Shane's leather jacket was still wrapped around my shoulders.

* * *

I didn't want to be here.

Did I mention that I _hate_ Tess Tyler?

Ok, the truth is I don't hate her. Just extremely dislike. And no matter what my mind is screaming right now, there's a small part of me that wants to be here.

Before I could chicken out, I raised my hand and rapped on the door. The wait was probably the hardest part of the entire ordeal for me. The anticipation of knowing that something would happen, but not knowing what.

"Mitchie! What… What are you doing here?"

I kept my face straight, trying not to show the momentary disappointment at seeing Nate's lean form filling the door of the cabin.

"You weren't looking for me." It wasn't a question.

I looked at the ground, slightly guilty, "Not exactly. I-uh- I just wanted to give Shane his jacket back," I stuttered, holding it out.

Nate studied it, and me, for a moment before pulling his lips into a tight smile. "Why don't you hold onto that?"

Confused, I let the hand holding the jacket drop to my side.

"You obviously wanted to talk to Shane, that's why you brought it here. You could have just given it to him in class."

"Right," I said, feeling a blush seep lightly into my cheeks at my transparency.

Nate half-smiled, "So why don't you hang onto it, and give it to him when you can have that talk."

I bit my lip, finally looking up, "Thanks, Nate. I think I will."

"Mitchie!" He called as I stepped off the porch. I turned back. "What you said about living in the future? You were right. But you should know. The past is a dangerous place to live, too."

I nodded slightly, "I know."

* * *

**A/N: Ok, so it was really short… but everything I had planned for this is just gone now. I had a set plot line and it's just completely veering off course. So I'm just kind of rolling with the punches here… hope it wasn't terrible!**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Here it is! I'm going to do something different this time. I'm going to write from both Mitchie AND Shane's POV. The lines dividing the page will divide the POV. Start in Mitchie's, then after the divider is Shane, then Mitchie after the next divider and so on. If there's any confusion, let me know and I'll find some way to label them.**

**Chapter 15**

After leaving the cabin, I wasn't sure where to go. Nate's words echoed in my mind as I stepped through the forest. He was right, I knew. I couldn't keep holding the past against Shane; I could see it was killing him. And as much as I didn't want to expose myself to the possibility of getting hurt all over again, it might be a risk I had to take. My dad always said 'no risk, no reward'. The only way I'm going to know if this is worth it is if I try; I have to take the risk. I hugged Shane's jacket tightly to my body as I kept my pace through the darkened trees.

* * *

I put myself out there, and what had I gotten? Nothing. Less than nothing. She threw the words back in my face. I'd taken the risk, and I'd lost. Some philosophy.

I thought that maybe she just needed time to process it, and she'd come find me when she was ready. But she hasn't, and it's time I faced the reality that she probably won't.

* * *

I know Caitlyn won't approve, but I can't find it in myself to care. That's another thing my dad says, 'don't live your life according to others'. I need to do what _I_ want to do, not give up because Caitlyn thinks I should.

* * *

Maybe I should just give up. I can't waste my life pining after her. But she's different. She isn't like other girls. I meant what I said to her; every word. I stared out at the moon and hummed softly to myself. _"You're the voice I hear inside my head/ the reason that I'm singing/ I need to find you/ I gotta find you."_

"Shane."

The feminine voice startled me, and my head whipped around to see who had spoken. My heart dropped to my feet.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

* * *

I sighed. I didn't even know where to go. How was I supposed to find him in this maze of a camp? There were too many possible places he could be. I'd just have to wait until tomorrow to talk to him. I looked up, for the first time really seeing where I was. I'd ended up down by the docks. In the distance, I could hear a faint humming that I immediately placed.

The melody floated toward me and I closed my eyes for a moment, absorbing the sweet sound. It took me a moment to realize that the music had stopped. Impulsively, I moved toward the place where the sound had been coming from, hope bubbling inside me.

* * *

"What, no warm welcome? I thought you'd be happy to see me, Shane," She placed her hands on her hips.

"What would make you think that?" I snapped, rising to my feet. This could _not _be happening right now.

"Come on, after what happened between us-"

"_Nothing_ happened between us."

She looked only mildly offended, "So it meant nothing to you?"

"Nothing happened."

"I can't believe you. We kissed, Shane. And now you're denying it."

* * *

As I neared the area the sound had been coming from, the trees opened up into a clearing. Before I could get much closer, however, I started to make out the sounds of raised voices. I recognized one, belonging to Shane. The other, I couldn't place. I drew closer, slowing my pace in an effort to hide my presence.

* * *

"Shane, I know you have feelings for me. You wouldn't have kissed me back if you didn't."

"I didn't kiss you back. You attacked me, Megan. You read the wrong signals and everybody got the wrong impression. My girlfriend dumped me because of you."

I crossed my arms over my chest and made no effort to break the silence. A minute passed before the sound of a twig snapping drew both of our attentions to the trees behind me.

* * *

I ducked behind the tree quickly. That was close. I didn't want Shane and whoever this was to see me just yet. There was something about this that didn't feel right, and I had to find out what.

* * *

When my searching glance at the trees behind me wielded no results, I turned back to Megan, only to jump back in surprise. She was barely a foot away from me.

"What are you doing?" I asked, my voice wavering.

"Come on Shane, you know we belong together. Your manager stuck us together for a reason. He sent me here for a reason. You helped me realize my potential," She murmured, reaching for my hand. I pulled it away in disgust.

"Don't. You've obviously made some sort of mistake, Megan."

"Look, I'm sorry, alright? I didn't mean to break up you and your girlfriend, but maybe it's for the best?" She leaned in closer to me.

* * *

I strained my ears to hear anything, but they were talking so quietly that I couldn't make out anything other than the girl's seductive tone. What was going on?

* * *

She reached up to touch my cheek with her fingers. I brought my own hand up and removed the almost tender contact, placing her hand back at her side.

"No, it wasn't."

* * *

I risked a glance around the tree at what was happening. Shane was standing in the clearing slanted away from me, a girl standing opposite him, too close to be friendly. Her hand was touching his cheek tenderly. I watched in disbelief as Shane's hand came up to cover her own gently. What was happening. It was then that I turned my full attention to her face. And her hair. Her blonde hair. She looked familiar…

* * *

"Alright. Fine. I get it. You're obviously still hung up on this girl. I don't see why, but I don't have to, I guess. I just hoped that maybe you weren't going to be. When Alex told me to come here for the Final Jam, I thought maybe you'd be willing to give in to what I know you felt. I guess not."

"I didn't feel anything, Megan."

* * *

I hated that I couldn't hear. I needed to know what this blonde girl was saying to Shane. He had seemed completely impassive at first, but now his face was softening. Whatever it was, he seemed to be sympathizing. I started to move closer to the pair.

* * *

"Alright. Say whatever you want. I know it's not true, but I guess that's all I'm going to get. Again, I'm sorry."

She closed the gap between us, wrapping her arms around my neck in a soft hug that was a bit too close for my liking. I returned it briefly, intending to push her away.

And then another twig snapped.

* * *

She wrapped her arms around him. He wrapped his arms around her. And it all clicked into place. She was the blonde. The blonde that helped break my heart. And here she was, right in front of me. Hugging Shane. Shane was hugging her back. After everything he'd said to me this summer, everything he'd done. And look where we ended up. Shane with another girl in his arms and me standing on the sidelines with a shattering heart. I was no longer careful to conceal my presence as my foot came down on a twig, snapping it in two.

* * *

I whirled around, startled, pulling away from Megan.

My heart stopped for the second time that night.

"Mitchie. This isn't what you think."

"It never is."

"Mitchie, please, just let me explain."

"I think I've seen enough to know what's going on," She said coldly, stepping roughly through the twigs in the clearing until she stood just before me. "Here," She choked out, pressing something into my hands, "I came to give this back to you."

She turned and started to retreat the way she'd come. This couldn't be happening. I couldn't let Megan tear us apart again. I reached out to grab her arm. She wrenched it free, turning back to glare at me.

"Stay the hell away from me, Shane."

This time, I let her go as she stalked away through the forest. I looked down at the leather jacket clutched in my hands as I tried to forget the pure hatred in her eyes.

* * *

**A/N: So… there it is. Reviews would be awesome!**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: OK, so I've been a little stuck… Sorry it took so long, I just had to decide what exactly to do after that monstrosity of a last chapter… I'd like to just get rid of it, but it's a bit too late for that, so now I have to deal with it… Still not too sure what I am doing with it. Guess we will find out! **

**I would also like to thank the anonymous reviewer that lit a fire under me! I needed it! **

* * *

**Chapter 16**

I hurried back to the cabin; Tess was still the only one occupying it. As I entered, she glanced up from her magazine, fully prepared to look back down before she saw my face.

"Didn't go well?" She questioned, flipping the _Cosmo_ closed and sitting up straighter.

I shook my head and once more found myself spilling my guts to the spoiled popstar's daughter who cared about no one. My sudden trust in Tess Tyler surprised me, and I knew Caitlyn would have several things to say about it, but I couldn't help myself. Maybe that had been my problem with Shane: I was too quick to trust him. Just like Tess, Shane had been brought up in a world of fame and fortune, and those types of people all had the same basic instincts. Yet here I sat, pouring my heart out to Tess, trusting that she wouldn't tell anyone my troubles. I had been going to tell Shane… Well, I'm still not exactly sure what I was going to tell him; I was planning on winging it.

Tess studied me for a long while after I finished before speaking, "I think you jumped to conclusions."

I blinked, "Excuse me?"

"Well, you didn't exactly give him a chance to explain. He could have been hugging her for any number of reasons. In my experience, girls like this blonde have one reason for attaching themselves to Shane Gray. From what you told me of your earlier conversations… well let's just say he wouldn't turn his back on a confession like that anytime soon."

I was speechless. Tess Tyler, spouting wisdom? Since when did that happen?

Whatever might have been said next was interrupted by the swinging of the door to the cabin as Caitlyn and Anna entered, laughing.

"Mitch! There you are! We've been looking fo-" Caitlyn's sentence cut off as she took in the sight of Tess perched on the end of my bed, "What's going on here?"

Tess snorted, "Why are you acting like you just caught Mitchie cheating on you?"

Caitlyn scowled at Tess before turning back to me.

I shrugged, "Not a whole lot is going on. We're just talking."

"Talking? Since when do you talk to Tess Tyler?"

"Since she doesn't judge me," I shot back.

Caitlyn looked momentarily confused, "Tess, not judging someone? Please, pigs aren't flying, hell hasn't frozen over, get your head out of the sand, Mitchie. Tess judges _everyone_."

"And you don't?" Tess interrupted, the tension reaching a breaking point in the room.

"Whoa. Let's take a step back here. Caitlyn, Mitchie, why don't we take a walk?" Anna suggested, stepping between the fuming girls.

I dragged myself off the bed, already tired of the discussion I knew Caitlyn wanted to have.

"Ok, want to tell me what brought you and Tess together?" Caitlyn asked after we'd walked a decent distance from the cabin. Her hands were placed on her hips and her expression was exactly what I'd imagined it to be. I said nothing, eyeing the ground somewhat guiltily. Caitlyn caught on quickly. "Wait. You weren't talking about… You weren't talking about Shane, were you?"

I brought my head up, "So what if we were?"

Caitlyn looked disappointed in me, and not because I hadn't confided in her; she looked disappointed because I was confiding period. "Mitchie… You need to let it go. He's not worth it."

"I know. I-uh-saw him. With the blonde."

Her eyes widened, "He-you-_what_?"

"They were hugging, and talking, and I don't even know anymore," I sighed, frustrated with the entire situation. I couldn't get Shane's face out of my face. The surprise and the desperation, and I couldn't shake the feeling that Tess had possibly been right. I couldn't hear the conversation; maybe they'd been saying something else? Could I really afford to believe that I was mistaken?

"That bastard," Caitlyn seethed, pacing angrily as she muttered to herself. Anna still stood in the background, not speaking at all.

"Caitlyn, please just calm down. It's not that big of a deal."

"Not that big of a deal? Mitchie, the guy's hooking up with the girl he cheated on you with? How is that not a big deal?"

"He's not hooking up with her!" I shouted, although I had no way of knowing that, "This is the first time I've seen her here. For all we know she followed him here because she's some stalker."

The pacing froze, "Are you defending him? How can you still defend him after all he's put you through? Are you _that_ blinded?"

"I'm not _blinded_. And will you stop judging me?"

"I'm not-"

"Yes you are. It's written all over your face and your voice. You disapprove and think I'm the stupidest person for not putting him behind me, but don't you get that I _can't_? You can't judge a situation you know nothing about," I snapped, fed up with her. She played the same argument over and over again, and I was tired of hearing it.

"Fine. But when you get hurt, just know that I told you it would happen."

Caitlyn left then, stalking off back towards the cabin. I growled in frustration. This wasn't supposed to happen! This thing with Shane wasn't supposed to tear everyone apart! And yet here it was, coming between me and my best friend.

"Want my opinion?" Anna's voice startled me; I didn't realize she was still standing there.

I really had nothing left to lose, "Sure."

"Don't be too quick to jump to conclusions about Shane. I saw your face when we came in. It's like you told Caitlyn: You can't judge a situation you know nothing about."

Her words rendered me speechless, and I said nothing as she turned and walked away, leaving me alone with my thoughts. She had a point; _I_ had a point. I couldn't judge this whole scenario based upon what I thought I saw. I had to give him a chance to explain. That is, if he still wanted to explain.

* * *

**A/N: OK, so it's short, and it sucks, but I wanted to update! I feel bad about taking so long.**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: So… here's another update! I'm determined to finish this before the end of summer!**

* * *

**Chapter 17**

Breakfast the next morning was an awkward affair. I hoped that Shane would come in with Nate and Jason, but when they entered the Mess Hall, they were alone. Nate must have sensed my disappointment, because he frowned at me in confusion.

"He said he was skipping breakfast. He's been kind of depressed ever since he came back last night. Any idea what happened?" He gave me a meaningful look; he knew full well that I had gone off in search of Shane last night, and I knew that he assumed the worst.

I shrugged, "I have a bit of an idea. I'll fill you in a little later."

Just then, the door opening drew the attention of everyone who wasn't absorbed in conversation. It was the blonde. Nate froze, and then looked back at me, understanding lighting his eyes at once.

"Nate, what's Megan doing here?" Jason asked, oblivious and confused.

"I don't know. No one told me she was coming," Nate said shortly.

"Who's Megan?" Anna asked, leaning forward.

"She's this newbie that our manager stuck with us, trying to get us to show her the ropes of the music business," Jason explained, all too eager to explain this to Anna. If I wasn't so distracted by _Megan_, I would have smiled. "She was tagging along on our tour for a while, but left to do her own thing after…" He trailed off uncomfortably, and my inner smile dropped. Everyone glanced uncomfortably at me.

Suddenly, something that he said struck me, "Jase, did you say she was new?"

Jason nodded, "Yeah we were supposed to be helping her out and being seen with us raised her profile or something. I don't know; Nate's better at understanding the business side of it. I just know she was really annoying."

At this, I turned to Nate, eyebrows raised expectantly.

Nat sighed, "She wasn't getting the fan interest as quickly as she could have, and so they thought if they brought her into our tour, had her do a few songs on stage with us, she'd catch on faster. The company was just trying to put her on the fast track and save some promotion money. She's smart; she figured if she latched onto one of us, not just professionally, she'd be even better off."

I frowned at this, "But no one's heard of her…"

"Exactly. Her plan backfired. She made her mistake when she went for Shane. He had her thrown off the tour after… well, you know."

Our conversation was held in low whispers, and I looked up to see Caitlyn looking between us, confused and anxious. She didn't know what we were discussing, but we must have looked intense. I straightened up, piercing a strawberry, lost in thought at what I'd just learned. I'd spent all this time thinking Megan was just some random girl Shane had met on a stop in the tour, but she accompanied them as a kind of student. They'd spent so much time together, got to know each other…

"Nate, what happened? That day. What happened when they came back?" I asked, and he knew instinctively what I was talking about.

"Megan came back first, in tears. She tried to tell us that he came onto her, but it didn't feel right. We went out looking for him and he told us that they were out walking the town, getting to know the area and they stopped at a café for a bit, and when they were about to leave she… well you know what happened. I don't know how the paparazzi found out about it. That's all I know."

I digested this, chewing thoughtfully. I don't know why I didn't think to have this conversation with Nate before, although it didn't explain why Megan was _here_, and what happened last night. It also didn't excuse the fact that Shane had still kissed her while he was dating me. I merely nodded, staring at my plate. Before I could register what I was doing, I stood up, dumping my plate in the garbage, and headed over to where Megan was standing in line for food.

"I need to talk to you," I snapped, startling her. My bold attitude surprised even me, for I was usually much more timid about this.

Megan turned to look at me in surprise, "And who are you?"

"I'm Mitchie, Shane's ex-girlfriend."

Megan's eyes showed her realization of who I was, and the guilt she should have felt didn't cloud her eyes. I can't say I was surprised.

"Ah," The sound came out delicately, carefully, "I see."

"I bet you do. Want to go somewhere more private? I wouldn't want to besmirch your public image."

Megan considered it for a moment, then set her plate down gently and indicated for me to lead the way. I glanced over at the table on my way out the door. Caitlyn looked worried, Nate looked slightly sick, Anna looked thoughtful, and Jason just looked clueless. I saw him ask Nate something, which resulted in the latter shooting him a firm look, at which point Jason's mouth formed into a round 'O'. I paid my friends no mind as I led Megan out to the forest. I needed to know why she was here.

"Ok," I said, spinning around after we'd gone a couple of minutes into the cover of the trees, "Why are you here?"

Megan's eyebrows raised, "I don't see how that's any of your business."

She had a point, but I didn't care, "Did you come for Shane?"

She shrugged, "It doesn't make a difference if I did. He doesn't want me anyways."

I frowned, "Don't lie, I saw you two last night. Looked pretty cozy to me."

Megan smiled slightly, "It _was_ pretty cozy. Until you interrupted."

I opened my mouth and then closed it again. So it was probably what I had thought. Of course, given what Nate had told me about her, I couldn't be too trusting.

"Look, Mitchie, I get it. I fell for him too. But Shane Grey only thinks about Shane Grey."

That wasn't true; I knew Shane, and he'd changed. He wasn't that guy anymore.

"You seem like a really nice girl, and I'm sorry you fell for his act," She said, lowering her voice and layering it with sympathy. That's when I knew she was a complete fake. This conversation had been almost pointless.

"Me too," I agreed, only because it was the only way to get rid of her. That, and it gave her the confidence I knew she sought. She wanted me completely out of the picture, for whatever reason.

She stood still for a few more seconds before deciding that it was safe to turn and walk away. I watched her go, trying to sort out exactly what I'd accomplished. Maybe it was just that I needed to talk to her, to see that she was real and to face her. My dad always told me to face my fears, and she was definitely a fear.

"I hope you didn't believe any of that."

I jumped and spun around, "Shane!"

* * *

**A/N: OK, so hopefully the next one will be longer! I wanted this one to be longer but this seemed like a good place to end it.**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: OK, so we're coming to the end here. I can only forsee a few more chapters in this story's future, because it's almost where I want it to be!**

* * *

**Chapter 18**

We stared at each other for a long while before he spoke again, "What were you two talking about?"

I avoided his gaze as I answered, "You."

"And did you find the answers you were looking for?" He asked, taking a step sideways, running his fingers along the smooth edge of a boulder as he spoke. There was no need for him to explain anything more; I understood perfectly, as I so often did. The connection we had was undeniable, and it scared the hell out of me. Maybe that was why I had been so quick to jump to the conclusion I had last night. Although I didn't want to admit it, the way my heart stood exposed where he was concerned left me too vulnerable for my liking. I'd opened it up before and it had gotten stomped on, though I was beginning to see that it may not have been intentional. It had still happened.

"Not really," I answered, carefully speaking in a noncommittal tone.

He frowned, "What were you looking for? Her to tell you how I initiated everything? How I misled and took advantage of the poor naïve Megan?"

"No," I whispered, barely audible, but he heard me.

He dragged a hand down his face, a frustrated motion. "I don't understand you."

I sighed, not wanting to have this conversation right now. In fact, if I were perfectly honest, I didn't want to have this conversation at all. I wanted to turn and run far away, never looking back. It was so many steps backward from where I was in my life, and it annoyed me that Shane had the power to send me back to where I'd been a year ago. I'd grown up so much over the last year, and Shane breaking my heart had robbed me of so much of the naivety I'd held last time I was here. For all I knew, the connection wasn't enough anymore. We were both different people, and maybe we were doomed for repeated failure. I'd been so ready to throw caution to the wind yesterday, but the time lapse between then and now made me take a step back and consider the situation from all angles.

Shane's frustration only increased at my silence. I looked everywhere but at him, while his eyes burned into me. Christ, we were too young to have this kind of effect on each other.

"Tell me what happened," I said finally, "Tell me from the beginning. Tell me the truth."

"That's what I've been doing all along!" He yelled.

I took a step back in shock, "You've been telling me that nothing happened all summer, but that's obviously not true. That kiss would have been hard to photoshop."

He clenched his teeth, "Yes, we kissed, but it meant nothing. She attacked me!"

"You didn't look too eager to push her away…"

"Mitchie, a picture is a second in time –a millisecond, really. What the picture looked like wasn't what happened in the aftermath. I kicked her off the tour and told her that she'd gotten the wrong impression. I never meant to hurt you; you have to believe that."

Looking at him then, I found that I _did_ believe him. He hadn't wanted to hurt me; he loved me. It didn't change the fact that he did hurt me. I'd already worked through all of this in my mind before, but I felt like I needed to turn it over and over until I found something I missed. Of course, I already overanalyzed it, but it never hurt to try and try again, right?

"I do believe that," I said, biting my lip, "But it doesn't change that it happened."

"We've been through this, and I've told you how sorry I am."

"You don't think I know that?" I snapped, "You don't think I know you're sorry and you wish you could take it back and everything else you've said? Forgive me if I have a few reservations about opening up to you again. Words can't heal wounds."

"You don't think _I_ know that? You don't think I know how much of a risk I'm asking you to take? You don't think I know how much seeing Megan last night must have hurt? But Megan is nothing. Less than nothing. You have to know that."

"I don't _have_ to know anything, Shane."

Shane was silent at that; neither of us was sure what to say next.

Before I could stop myself, my next words tumbled from my lips, hoping to right the wrong I'd felt guilty about since I'd said it, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I threw it back in your face. It was cruel."

He nodded, understanding as he always did.

"It's just… well… I waited for so long to hear those words, and then you said them… and it just felt like… I don't know how to explain it. It felt like you only said them to try to get me back."

The silence that followed as he processed my words was suffocating. I wanted him to deny it so badly, and yet it would be easier if he just agreed, and crushed what hope I had left. Maybe it would be better if he could just tell me he had no feelings left for me now, and we could both move forward with our lives. He could go to Megan, and I could go back to being unremarkable.

"I would never do that. I meant what I said," He said instead, stepping closer.

I squeezed my eyes shut tightly, trying to suppress the unidentifiable emotion that was threatening to surface. It was a mix of happiness, regret, and pain. When I reopened them again, Shane was standing less than a foot away.

"Shane…" I whispered, turning my head away from him. I couldn't look at him as I voiced my next thoughts, "It still doesn't change anything."

"How can it not?" He asked, confused. He reached out, grabbing my hand despite my attempts to prevent it. Him touching me right now wasn't a good idea. "I meant what I said. Megan was just a huge misunderstanding. She didn't mean anything to me."

"What happens when another 'misunderstanding' comes along? If you can cheat on me and think it means nothing…" I bit my lip, focussing on a tree to the right of us.

A sigh of frustration escaped his lips, "We've been through this already. Can we not have the same conversations over and over again? Is it too much to ask to get past those points?"

"Maybe it is," I snapped, my eyes flashing as I looked up at him, "Maybe it's too much to ask that I can't get over you _cheating_ on me."

"Look, you obviously had it sorted out somehow. I saw the look on your face last night. It was like I broke your heart all over again. You were coming to give me the second chance I've been asking for all summer, weren't you?" He asked softly. He was still holding my hand, and his eyes trapped mine, preventing me from looking away.

"No," I whispered, a blatant lie.

It didn't fool him, "I know you. I know you wanted to talk to me, or you could have left my jacket back at the cabin. Nate told me you came by."

I remained silent. I didn't know how to answer that. I _had_ been coming to tell him I wanted to try again, but then I'd seen him and Megan. Although it was clear I'd gotten the wrong idea from that, I still couldn't shake the crushing feeling. It made me realize how easy it was to get hurt with Shane. It scared me.

"I know I'm right. You can't deny it."

"Yes, I can. Shane, we're not good for each other," I said quietly, pulling my hand from his and gaining the power to step away, "No matter what we feel, it's always going to end up like this…"

"So you admit you feel something?" He asked, ignoring the rest of my sentence.

"It doesn't matter what I do or do not feel, Shane. It matters what I felt after I found out. I never want to feel like that again."

"Mitchie-"

"No! Do you have any idea what you put me through? I couldn't function properly for months! I couldn't watch TV, I couldn't listen to the radio; I couldn't remind myself of you at all! I felt like a part of me had been ripped out and torn into pieces! My parents started thinking about putting me into therapy because I wouldn't do anything. I locked myself in my room in every spare minute I had. It was torture!"

"Mitchie, you have to know I wouldn't do that to you again."

"No, you wouldn't _mean_ to do it to me again. It would still happen."

Shane ran a hand through his hair angrily, "God, why do you always do this?"

"Do what?"

"Take a step forward and then three back? We're getting nowhere."

"You think I don't know that?" I exclaimed, my voice growing steadily louder with each word, "Maybe that's what's meant to happen! Maybe we're supposed to get nowhere and just give up!"

"No," Shane said, his voice much quieter than mine, "No, I'm not giving up on you. I love you too much."

The unexpected repeating of his earlier proclamation froze my next words. I didn't know what to say. I wasn't foolish enough to throw it back in his face again, and it occurred to me that I didn't _want_ to say anything to cheapen his confession. He moved towards me, encouraged by my silence.

"And I think… I think you love me too."

He was much too close but I couldn't move away.

"I-" I started to say, but I choked on the rest of the words. I didn't know what I was about to say. Surely I wasn't about to agree with him? It wasn't practical for me to agree with him, yet there was nothing practical about this. A million thoughts bounced around in my mind at once, and I couldn't get any one coherent thought or sentence to stay put. I couldn't do anything but watch as he closed the distance between us. I didn't want him this close to me… did I? The last time he was this close, I got hurt, and I didn't want to get hurt again. It wasn't worth it… was it?

I didn't have enough time to think any of my wild emotions through before he was standing right in front of me.

"Because, if you didn't, you would have stopped me by now," His voice was deathly quiet, and I still couldn't move.

"Shane-" My voice broke off once more as his hand came up to brush back a stray piece of hair that the wind had blown askew.

He leaned towards me, closing the distance, and I couldn't stop him. Or was it wouldn't? I couldn't want this, could I?

Before I could decide definitively, it was too late; he kissed me.

* * *

**A/N: So still not very long, but I'm thinking the rest of the chapters are going to be this length, maybe a little longer. Only a few more left! I'm thinking a maximum of three more. Reviews are great!**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Ok, I'm sorry, I know this story is kind of fizzling out… I feel bad that I've kind of let this go… so I'm just going to end it while I still can do so with a bit of dignity…**

* * *

**Chapter 19**

It felt like an eternity passed while he kissed me. Not to say I was an unwilling participant. After the initial shock, I returned the pressure of his lips, despite my mind's protests. No matter what my mind wanted, my heart just wouldn't listen. He wrapped his arms around me, drawing me closer as the kiss deepened. I tried not to feel anything, I really did. But doing that was easier said than done. It seems like everything is easier said than done. It was easier to say I'd never forgive Shane than it was to stick to it, it was easier to say I wouldn't fall for him again than it was to prevent my feelings from coming back.

I've always been bad at keeping my resolve. When I was five, I told my parents I wanted to be a ballerina. When I was eight, I still wanted to be a ballerina, so they enrolled me in classes. I made it through three before I quit. After that, I decided to take up golf, and that went well for a whole hour, until I decided that my feet hurt, the sun was too hot and the instructor was too mean. Next, I tried out chess and hated it as soon as my dad started explaining all the different pieces and how they could only move a specific way. This went on and on, until I found music. Singing and playing piano were the only things I stuck with after I started them. So I guess my indecision over Shane is just the more mature version of me not holding my resolve. It was easy each time to say that I would keep up with whatever I started, but it was another thing completely to actually do it.

The only difference between this and all of my phases when I was younger is that my parents have remained relatively silent throughout my entire ordeal. They may have felt that it wasn't their place to say anything, or maybe they just figure they should let me get hurt a few times before I learn my lesson –although I have a hard time believing that. I mean, they're my parents. They're supposed to look out for me. Who knows, maybe they've chalked this all up to teenage melodrama and really don't care anymore. I can't imagine they'll be too happy about my current about face in this matter, though. What dad wants his daughter to go back to the boy who broke her heart?

Wait, I'm not considering going back to him, am I? I mean, a simple kiss changes nothing. According to Shane, one kiss _means_ nothing. But who am I kidding, there's nothing simple about this mess.

Coming to my senses, I pulled back softly, almost regretfully. I didn't want to stop kissing him, but I knew I had to; it was the only way I could evaluate all of this with a clear head.

I took a step back, needing to be clear of his touch in order to clear my mind.

"You can't say you didn't feel anything," He told me.

"You're right. I can't. But I can tell you that I don't want to just jump back into anything without seriously considering everything that's happened. And don't tell me it was nothing, because if that was nothing, then so was this."

"Mitchie, Megan's kiss was nothing because I didn't feel anything for her. Anytime I kiss you, it won't mean nothing to me."

"Look, Shane, you've made your point clear, and now I need to figure out where I am with this. I would appreciate it if you could give me some space."

Shane took a deep breath, "No."

My eyes widened slightly in surprise, "What?"

"No. I'm done giving you space and letting you dictate what goes on between us. I'm tired of the back and forth, in and out, hot and cold dance you keep doing. I'm giving you an ultimatum, right now. If you walk away, we're done and I'll leave you alone. If you stay, give me a second chance. Make your decision."

"Shane that's not fair," I said, my voice wavering slightly.

"What's not fair about it?" He shouted, "What's not fair about me not wanting to be jerked every other way 'til Sunday? What's not fair about wanting a straight answer?"

He had a point. I'd been jerking him around since day one. Well, not since day one. More like day fifteen.

"So I'm going to sit here, and I'm going to wait while you make your decision."

I hated that he put me on the spot. I hated that he was the one giving the ultimatum here. I hated that I had to make this decision right now. I wanted more time; I _needed_ more time.

"You can't expect me to just make a decision right now, Shane."

"I don't. I expected you to make a decision all summer! You've had how long to sort this all out. I'm done waiting!"

I frowned at that statement. "I thought you said you wouldn't give up on me. I thought you said you wouldn't push."

"Yeah, well sometimes you have to push. You aren't going to make a decision unless I force you. You'd rather sit on the fence."

His bluntness surprised me; this wasn't like Shane. He wasn't this guy, was he?

"I'm doing this _because_ I don't want to give up on you. I won't sit by passively waiting for you make up your mind. I want you to tell me now."

"What if I can't?" I whispered after a long pause.

Shane stared at me for what felt like hours. "Then I'll make it for you."

We stared at each other for a long while before I spoke again, "So you'd really just leave? You'd just walk away, even though you love me?"

"You can't do that. It's not fair. You can't have it both ways!"

"I know!"

"Then make a decision!" He yelled, his arms thrown up in anger and frustration.

I stayed silent, taking a deep breath. My head was spinning. I couldn't do this. I couldn't decide on a whim like this.

But a small voice in the back of my mind was telling me the decision wasn't that difficult to make. I'd been ready to live with a decision yesterday, so why should today be any different, right?

I closed my eyes, inhaling deeply, and then blowing it back out, ready to make my decision. But when I opened my eyes, he was gone.

* * *

**A/N: So here we go. Maximum two more chapters. Took me a lot to get this out, and I know it pretty much sucks, so I'm sorry in advance.**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: So I thought I could make this flow nicely, but it didn't work out that way. Sorry it took a while.**

* * *

**Chapter 20**

I swivelled my head around frantically, searching everywhere for Shane. How could he leave? If he would have waited one more second…

I could feel myself deflating, realizing that he really was gone. He'd given up on me, even though he said he wouldn't. So much for love.

Scuffing my foot against the dirt angrily, I let out a growl of frustration. How could he do that? Why would he leave like that, when he told me to decide? Did I take too long for his liking? _Well, I'm sorry it took a while to decide if my heart was safe in your hands._

Truthfully, I couldn't blame him for leaving. After all, I _had_ been back and forth a lot since the beginning of summer. I hated him, I got used to him, we were friends, we were almost more, and now we were back to square one. It had to be frustrating, but a little voice in the back of my head told me it _should_ be frustrating. These things weren't normally neat and tidy.

The little voice in my head also told me that, though I felt betrayed by Shane, I overreacted. Most girls wouldn't get so worked up over a simple kiss. Maybe it was the betrayal I felt at Shane going so strongly against his word. He promised when he left that the tour wouldn't change anything between us, and yet here we were. He even brought his laptop over the last week he was in town so we could 'practice' communicating only through webcam. We'd sat in my living room on opposite ends of the couch, talking to our computers instead of each other. My parents thought we were crazy.

That last week before he left was one of the best and worst weeks of my life. We spent hours together, sometimes talking, sometimes not. I missed those days, I suddenly realized. I missed the way things used to be, and I'd give anything to go back there, but we couldn't. What's done is done, and all there's left to do is move forward from this, although I hadn't been doing that very well lately.

With all of these stunning revelations swimming in my mind, I realized that the decision I had been going to give him was the wrong one. I'd been disappointed when I realized he was gone, and I shouldn't have been if I was going to tell him I couldn't be with him. My gut reactions were not what they should be for someone who was going to tell Shane Gray that she didn't love him. I'd decided that it would be best for us if we just stayed away. I mean, there's always going to be another tour, and I don't want my heart broken again and again. I wasn't thinking clearly yesterday, but now my thoughts were crystal clear. Or so I thought. Maybe I was just too afraid to admit the truth, like I always was. I'd spent last summer lying to everyone, and I'd spent this one lying to myself.

Without a second thought about it, I turned and ran in the direction I figured he must have gone, intent on finding him. I didn't need a Nate or a Tess to tell me this time; this time, I'd figured out what I needed to do all on my own. Shane had let me control everything so far, and I'd be damned if I let _him _control_ this._

I ran until I was out of breath, but I had no idea where he was. Finally, my side splitting in agony, I trotted to a stop, hand clutching my side. I panted heavily, trying to catch my breath as I looked around to see where I was. All I could see were trees, tress, and more trees. Great.

I let out a loud sigh and tilted my head back to the sky briefly, holding in the scream of frustration that threatened to come out. I wasn't one for loud attractions of attention.

Maybe this was how things were supposed to go. Maybe, in making the wrong decision, I'd made the right one. Maybe this was what was meant to be? I wasn't supposed to find Shane, I wasn't supposed to tell him what my heart wanted. That was how the world worked; no one got what they wanted, they got what they were supposed to have. If that theory was correct, then maybe I was never supposed to have Shane.

I shook my head quickly to clear it; I was thinking too much in riddles. For once, I just wanted to think in clear, simple, sentences.

I want Shane.

I don't know where he is.

Where would he go?

The answer came easily. I knew exactly where he would be: the canoes.

* * *

_I remember what you wore on the first day  
You came into my life and I thought  
"Hey, you know, this could be something"_

I could hear the soft words floating up to meet my ears before I had fully reached the docks.

_'Cause everything you do and words you say  
You know that it all takes my breath away  
And now I'm left with nothing_

I tried to remain silent, because I wanted to hear where it was going, but my feet didn't cooperate. A twig snapped beneath my sneaker, causing Shane to pause in his playing and turn toward the source of the noise. His eyes darkened.

"Oh, it's you," He snapped. I was taken aback by his hostility at first, before remembering why I'd come to find him.

"Yeah. You didn't let me tell you my decision," I replied, licking my lips nervously.

Shane's smile was bitter as he said, "Yeah, I could tell from your face what you were going to say."

I was silent for a moment, digesting his words. Was I really that readable? I shook my head. Of course I was.

After a lengthy pause in conversation –if you could call it that- I got up the nerve to say what I'd come here with the intention of saying. "You were wrong."

His shoulders tensed slightly, but he didn't turn.

"You were wrong about what I was going to say. I made my decision, and it isn't what you think it is."

"Is that so?" He asked. He still didn't turn around, but at least he was speaking now.

"Well, it was what you thought it was, but I changed my mind."

"Again," He commented emotionlessly.

"Yes, again, Shane. I changed my mind _again_ but this is the last time, because you walking away from me… I didn't like it. I didn't want to get hurt again, but you walking away… It hurt."

He didn't speak again, waiting for me to continue.

"I've been jumping around a lot this summer, but you can't blame me for it. You hurt me, Shane. You can't fault me for not wanting to be hurt again. But… It hurts more to have you walk away from me then it does to know that you could let me down at any second."

This got his attention. He stood quickly, whirling around to face me as he did so. "I told you I'd never do something like that again. I promised you."

I shook my head sadly. "Neither of us can know what's going to happen in the future, Shane. You promised before you left for the tour that nothing would change, but then this whole mess happened. You can't make promises like that, and I can't expect you to. It's unfair to both of us."

"Then what am I supposed to do?" He asked, eyes still blazing.

I threw my arms up in the air, unsure of what to tell him. He always asked, and I never had an answer. "I don't know. I don't think there's anything you _can_ do. There's nothing anyone can do. All relationships face this kind of risk. It just took me a while to see that."

"And you aren't willing to take that risk."

"I wasn't," I corrected.

His eyes lit up just a fraction. It was almost as though he was fighting down the hope my words created.

"I wasn't ready to put myself on the line like that, but it's inevitable. It's time to stop living in the past and start doing what I want to do. I can't… I can't let memories hold me back. All summer I've been telling myself I have to get past this, but I haven't really been _doing_ that. I've been stuck in a loop. But I'm here now, and I'm off the loop, and I made my decision. I want to be with you, Shane. I want to try again."

The silence between us was thick, and I waited in anticipation for him to say something. Would he tell me it was too late?

He took a tentative step toward me. "So you're saying we can just move on?"

"Not exactly," I replied carefully, watching his face fall in confusion and rushing to get the next words out, "I'm saying we can move forward."

"There's a difference?"

"Yes. Moving on means that we forget it ever happened. Moving forward means we don't forget. It means that we take what happened and go from there. Rebuild."

"Rebuild?" He asked.

I nodded once.

"And how do you suggest we do that?"

I grinned, closing the distance between us. "Like this."

And with no further discussion, I pressed my lips to his. He pulled me closer, both of us savouring a moment that had come from far too much complication. None of it mattered though, because we were here.

* * *

**A/N: So, this isn't the end. I will post an epilogue-ish thing. I just really need to end this before it becomes even worse than it's been getting. The lyrics above belong to Taylor Swift and Boys Like Girls, not me!**


	21. Epilogue

**A/N: I'm so sorry that it took so long to get this up, but school has been CRAZY! So here it is, the epilogue!**

**Disclaimer: The lyrics below still belong to Taylor Swift and Boys Like Girls. I did make some changes in who sings what though. Shane is the bold, Mitchie is the itallics, and both are the two combined.**

**

* * *

**

**Epilogue**

The stage fright gripped hold of me quickly; I didn't even see it coming. I had gone so long without being this petrified that I had forgotten what it felt like. All those eyes focused on me, anticipating a performance worthy of a record deal, as all performances here were. What if I choked? What if I couldn't do it? What if I forgot the lyrics we had so painstakingly thought out? What if I screwed up?

A small voice in my head told me I wouldn't screw up, because I knew this song like the back of my hand by now, but I ignored it. It was easier to give into the panic than to fight it.

"We're on next," Shane's smooth voice broke through my wild emotions as he appeared behind me, slipping his hand into mine. "Nervous?"

I gave a shaky laugh. "Never."

He chuckled and squeezed my hand reassuringly, not fooled by the transparent lie. That was one of the things I remembered liking most about him. He wouldn't call me on my little white lies all the time. He wasn't one of those people who needed to point out every time someone was untruthful. Sometimes, he said, you just needed to let the person _think_ you believed them. Sometimes, it was easier that way.

The past week and a half had been odd for me. Being back together hadn't been as awkward as I expected, but some things were still unclear. It was almost as though we'd fallen back into a familiar pattern, but with some confusion as to what this pattern entailed. To be honest, the physical part was the biggest issue. How far was too far? If we were rebuilding, did that mean we were starting over from block one, as though we hadn't already dated? Or did that mean we picked back up from where we left off? Neither of us had the answer to this, and we fumbled around the issue –mostly because I was too embarrassed to say anything about it.

All things considered, I felt happy -even euphoric- to be back on track with Shane. It was fun to rediscover everything I'd loved about him before, and compare his bad habits with the ones I'd previously known. He was still pretty much the same person he'd been before, and I found myself glad that he hadn't changed.

The music on stage died out, meaning it was time for all of those eyes to turn to me. I felt a surge of anxiety stab at the wall of my stomach as Shane tugged my hand in the direction of the stage. He was grinning madly, like always. He was always so excited to get on stage, whereas I usually had to be dragged up the steps. It made me wonder what exactly I was thinking, wanting to be a singer.

As Brown's voice began to introduce us, I concentrated on making the scenery fall away. I couldn't see anything. The world outside this stage was blurring, going black. The people out there were disappearing into the darkness. No one was here. Just me and Shane.

**I remember what you wore on the first day  
You came into my life and I thought  
"Hey, you know, this could be something"  
**_'Cause everything you do and words you say  
You know that it all takes my breath away  
And now I'm left with nothing_

His voice startled me at first. I was so intent on blocking everything else out that I hadn't noticed the music beginning. I was barely ready to sing as his voice faded, but I managed to pull it together. My recollection of the lyrics from a blank and panicked mind fuelled my confidence. I could do this.

_**So maybe it's true  
That I can't live without you  
And maybe two is better than one  
But there's so much time  
To figure out the rest of my life  
And you've already got me coming undone  
And I'm thinking two is better than one**_

When our voices melded together, forming one, perfect blend, a smile split onto my face. All the thinking about what was meant to be and supposed to be faded from my mind, because I knew that this was right. I was supposed to be here, on stage, with Shane. I didn't care about what was in the 'grand plan' anymore, if there even was a 'grand plan'. All that mattered was right here, right now. No more thinking about the future.

__  
_I remember every look upon your face  
_**The way you roll your eyes**_  
The way you taste_**  
**_You make it hard for breathing  
__**'Cause when I close my eyes and drift away  
I think of you and everything's okay  
I'm finally now believing**_

_**That maybe it's true  
That I can't live without you  
And maybe two is better than one  
But there's so much time  
To figure out the rest of my life  
And you've already got me coming undone  
And I'm thinking two is better than **__one_

Brown once told me that for any good song to be great, it had to mean something to the artist. I couldn't see the audience to judge their reaction, but I could see Shane. I could see that these words meant something to him, just as they did to me. I could see that these words were honest, and true, even if they were a little cheesy, and a little cliché. Who doesn't love a good cliché?

**I remember what you wore on the first day  
You came into my life and I thought, "Hey,"**

_**Maybe it's true  
That I can't live without you  
Maybe two is better than one  
But there's so much time  
To figure out the rest of my life  
And you've already got me coming undone  
**__And I'm thinking_  
_**I can't live without you  
'Cause, baby, two is better than one  
But there's so much time  
To figure out the rest of my life  
But I'll figure it out  
When all is said and done  
Two is better than one  
Two is better than one**_

As the last words rang through the auditorium and applause broke out, a smile broke out on my face, and I remembered why I wanted to sing. The rush of adrenaline you got from pouring your heart out was intoxicating. I loved being able to show people parts of myself I would normally keep hidden. Looking across at Shane, I saw him return my grin before we left the stage.

* * *

In the mass confusion that was the end of Duet Jam that night, Shane and I managed to slip away from the crowd unnoticed. I glanced once over my shoulder to see Caitlyn with Nate's arm around her, scanning the crowd, most likely for us. I had no reason to avoid her, but I wanted some time alone with Shane before everyone crowded in.

We walked leisurely along the docks with our hands loosely gripped together, fingers intertwined. I still wasn't accustomed to the tingling sensation this caused, and I felt like I never would be.

A pleasant breeze rustled the leaves on the trees and created ripples in the water of the lake as we walked, and I couldn't stop the smile from spreading once again across my face. The serenity of Camp Rock was something I'd never forgotten.

"Can I ask you something?" I asked suddenly, not even realizing I'd voiced the question aloud until Shane was replying.

"Shoot."

"Why do you love singing?"

Shane frowned. It obviously wasn't the question he was expecting.

"I don't know. I think it's the rush and the excitement. I love getting on stage and sharing myself with the world."

A small smile twitched at the corner of my lips at his answer. He delivered it with such a faraway look in his eyes. Looking sideways at him, I wondered why I'd ever thought I could walk away from him.

"What?"

I snapped back into focus to see Shane studying me, and realized I had been staring.

"Nothing. Just thinking," I replied vaguely.

"About what?" He asked, releasing my hand in favour of wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me closer to his side. By this point we had stopped walking and stood in the middle of the docks.

"How much I love you," I replied after a moment, knowing full-well the weight of my words. I hadn't told him I loved him before, but it felt right and, watching his smile, I knew it was. It may have been considered too soon for some people, like my mother, but that didn't matter to me.

"I love you, too," he whispered, leaning in and sealing his lips over mine. For some reason, this kiss felt different than the others; it was slower, more personal than passionate. The electric sparks I usually felt were replaced with a slow, burning in my stomach, slowly spreading outward until it encompassed my entire body. I leaned into him, further deepening the kiss.

And then we were interrupted.

"Hey! None of that!" A voice cut across our moment.

I pulled away with annoyance to see Caitlyn and Nate standing a short distance away, closely followed by Anna and Jason.

The grin on Caitlyn's face softened my scowl as Shane looped his arm around my waist.

"We were looking for you guys after the Jam," Caitlyn said.

A soft smile graced my lips as I replied, "We wanted some time alone, to talk."

"Oh," Nate spoke this time, "Do you want us to go?"

Smiling fully this time, I shook my head. "It's fine."

We sat out there for hours, talking and laughing. I'd forgotten how awesome we were as a group, and Anna only made things better. Given that Caitlyn and Nate were now a couple, I'd been worried he would feel left out. However, given how close they were sitting, and the way I'd catch them looking at each other, there was no danger of that happening. As cliché as it is, I'm glad things worked out like this. It wouldn't be Camp Rock any other way.

* * *

My stomach twisted, much like it had two weeks previous, but this time it wasn't stage fright that had me anxious. As I watched the bags being packed and the Final Jam sign being removed, it hit me that this was it. I was leaving Camp Rock for the last time. This place had done so much for me that it didn't feel right to leave it behind.

"Mitch?" Shane's voice startled me as he approached, hands shoved in the pockets of his black skinny jeans so casually that one might think he was leaving a cheap motel.

I attempted a smile but failed miserably. "Hey."

Shane smiled sadly, knowing instinctively what I was thinking about. "It's not really goodbye, you know."

"Maybe not for you," I muttered.

"Not for you either. Brown would welcome you back whenever you want."

I pressed my lips together tightly, saying nothing. Just as I expected him to break the silence, a blonde head caught my eye and I told him hurriedly that I would be right back.

"Tess!" I called, pushing my way through the throng of people gathered in the main entrance. It was more difficult to reach her than I'd expected, but I caught up just as she reached her limo. "Tess!"

She whirled in a blur of blonde hair and dark blue fabric to face me.

"I…uh… I just wanted to thank you... for, um, everything," I mumbled, looking at the ground. Now that I was saying the words, they sounded unnecessary and stupid.

Tess sounded just as awkward and embarrassed as me as she replied, "You're, uh, welcome. Same to you."

I nodded quickly and just like that our moment was over. She climbed into her limo and I turned back the way I came. I knew we most likely wouldn't see each other, and I couldn't bring myself to be all that sad over it, but I was glad that she was there for me; it showed me that there _was_ some humanity in Tess Tyler.

Shane frowned as I returned to his side, reaching for his hand.

"What was that about?" He asked.

"Nothing. Just thanking her for some good advice she gave me."

I didn't explain any further, and Shane seemed to realize that it wasn't too important. The silence returned. Both of us knew what was coming, but neither wanted to say the words aloud. The last time we'd said goodbye was fresh in both of our minds. The last time we'd said goodbye, our relationship hadn't survived it.

Shane opened his mouth to say something but I cut him off. "Don't. Don't say anything. There isn't going to be a goodbye this time."

I watched as his face turned confused.

"The only thing we're going to say is 'see ya later'. Whatever happens, happens. I trust you."

"And I trust you," he returned.

That was all that needed to be said. I didn't want big, long speeches featuring heartfelt confessions and unrealistic promises. I just wanted simple, powerful words, and that's what I got.

After many delayed departures, my mom finally got me into the van, put it in gear, and turned away from Camp Rock. I drew in a deep breath as we passed the front gates, fingering the business card in my pocket. It was given to me the night of Final Jam, but I hadn't told anyone yet, not even Shane. If I was going to make it, I was going to do it on my own, not because I was Shane Grey's girlfriend.

Glancing out the window, I watched as trees zoomed by, leaving the summer behind me. I was strangely okay with it now, because I knew I couldn't continue to live in the past. It was time to move forward.

* * *

**A/N: Aaaaaaand, that's a wrap! I'm sorry that the ending was rather cheesy, but who doesn't like a little cheese with their epilogues? I'm sorry this story kind of went downhill, but I tried to end it as well as I could. **


End file.
